Snow Bunnies a Campers! story
by Neuropsych
Summary: An invitation to a birthday party, a weekend skiing... what could possibly go wrong? (FINISHED)
1. Default Chapter

Snow Bunnies ... a Campers! Story  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own SG-1, or the SGC, or any of those folks. I do, however, own Andrew, his parents, the kids that show up, and Shadow  
  
Author's Note: Okay, rated PG-13, but only for language that might come out, and maybe a little violence. It's really probably PG, but I prefer to have everyone warned. Oh, yeah, and I'm not on vacation anymore * sigh* so I'll update as often as possible, but I do have to work, too. Unfortunately.  
  
~*~  
  
Teal'c wasn't paying attention. Unusual, yes, since he was normally well aware of what was going on around him. There were few consequences, though, since he was only walking down the corridors of the SGC, and not on some hostile planet. Even less dangerous, since the personnel of the SGC could hardly miss him coming, and were able to move out of his way in plenty of time to avoid a collision with him. Which was good, since Teal'c was a lot bigger than all of them.  
  
With his head down and his eyes intent on the paper in his hand, Teal'c turned the corner and quite literally ran into the one other person in the SGC who wasn't paying attention to where he was going. O'Neill went down like he'd hit a stone wall, and Teal'c was pulled from his private thoughts by the distraction.  
  
"I apologize, O'Neill," the big Jaffa said, reaching down and pulling Jack to his feet.  
  
O'Neill shook his head, waving off the apology. He'd been daydreaming, so he was pretty certain that the collision had been his fault.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Teal'c," Jack said. "I was..." he trailed off when he saw the perplexed look on his friend's normally emotionless face, and then caught the gleam of white paper in his hand. "What do you have there?"  
  
"It is an invitation."  
  
"Oh? Bachelor party? Wedding? Bar Mitzvah?"  
  
"None of those," Teal'c said, although he wasn't exactly positive what a Bar Mitzvah was. He was certain he wasn't invited to one, however. "It is a letter from Miyra Stephens."  
  
"Andrew's mom?"  
  
"Indeed."  
  
"Everything all right?"  
  
"Yes. Andrew's birthday is next weekend, and they are spending the weekend at a private lodge." He looked down at the paper. "Where they will be skiing and sledding. I have been invited to attend."  
  
Jack smiled, picturing Teal'c on skis. "Sounds like fun. Are you going to go?"  
  
"I have not yet decided."  
  
"You might as well," Jack said. "Like I said, it sounds like fun. It's not like there's anything so important going on around here that you wouldn't be able to get away."  
  
"I will consider it."  
  
"It'd be fun to see Andrew again."  
  
"Indeed. It has been far too long since I have seen him."  
  
Teal'c was good about replying to the small boy's letters and even spoke to him on the phone a few times a month, but he hadn't seen him face to face in almost two months. Far too long.  
  
"You should go, Teal'c."  
  
"Perhaps."  
  
"Hey guys," Daniel said, coming around the corner and almost running into the two of them. He was carrying a white paper in one hand, and had a perplexed look on his face.  
  
"Morning, Daniel."  
  
"Good morning, Daniel Jackson."  
  
"What do you have there, Daniel?" Jack asked, pointing at the paper in the archeologist's hand. It looked similar to the one in Teal'c's hand.  
  
"Um... an invitation to Andrew Stephen's birthday party."  
  
"Let me guess," Jack said, smiling. "A weekend of skiing at a private lodge?"  
  
"How did you know that?"  
  
"Teal'c got one, too."  
  
Daniel wasn't surprised. Teal'c and Andrew were very close.  
  
"Are you going to go?"  
  
"I have not yet decided."  
  
"Are you going to go?" Jack asked Daniel.  
  
"I don't know. I... did you get an invitation?"  
  
"I haven't picked up my mail, yet," Jack admitted. "But if it's next weekend, I might not be able to go anyways."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because Sam's got that thing with her dad, and I told her that I'd take-"  
  
"Hey guys, what are you doing blocking the hall?"  
  
They all looked over and saw Carter walking up to them, smiling and holding a white piece of paper in her hand.  
  
"Um, we were talking about Andrew's birthday thing," Daniel said, looking at Sam's hand.  
  
"Are you going?"  
  
"That's what we were discussing."  
  
"It's next weekend," Carter said. "I can't go, since I promised dad that he and I were going to go to New York, but I don't see why the rest of you don't go. It's not like you have anything going on here that can't wait an extra two days to complete."  
  
"I was going to take care-"  
  
"I'll have the neighbors water the plants, Jack," Sam said, smiling. "Or is there another reason you don't want to go?"  
  
"Well... I'm not real big on the whole being cold thing." Jack admitted. "And I don't ski all that well."  
  
"You surely wouldn't leave Teal'c and Daniel to the mercies of all those kids just because you're afraid of a little chill and afraid of taking a spill or two?"  
  
"Sam? Have you seen the opening credits to the wide world of sports? Have you SEEN the 'little spill' the skiing guy takes?"  
  
She gave him a look, and Jack sighed. He wasn't going to win this one.  
  
"Fine. If there's an invitation for me, I'll go."  
  
Sam grinned, and held out an envelope. "I pulled this out of your box, thinking you'd want to see it right away."  
  
"Thanks." Oh, yes, the sarcasm. Sam knew it well. And ignored it.  
  
"Don't worry, Colonel," Carter said as Jack took the envelope. "You guys will have a great time. What's the worst that could happen?" 


	2. 02

"Hi, Jack! Hi, Daniel! Hi, Murray!"  
  
"Hey, Shawn," Jack smiled as the three of them walked up the sidewalk to the door of the Adams' house. Dotty was standing there with her son, but there was no sign of James.  
  
"Good morning, Jack," Dotty said, opening the door for the three, a silent invitation to come in out of the snow.  
  
"Hey pretty lady," Jack said, leaning in to give her cheek a kiss as he looked into the living room. "Is the husband around? Or are you finally going to run away with me? We could leave Daniel and Murray with the kid."  
  
Dotty laughed, and swatted him playfully as the others all exchanged grins. There were so few people that Jack really got along well with, but Shawn's parents were definitely some of his favorites. It was most definitely an automatic extension of his true fondness for their child. And Dotty and James were well aware of Jack's feelings towards their boy, which made him an automatic favorite in their house.  
  
"He's working, but I'll tell him you said hello."  
  
"You ready, Shawn?" Daniel asked the boy.  
  
"It's very nice of you to take him with you Jack. I wouldn't have minded driving him up-"  
  
"We're going, and we have the extra space, since Sam's not coming, so it's not a problem." Jack watched as Shawn went down the hallway to his room, followed by Teal'c. "Besides, we like his company."  
  
"Yes," Daniel said, "It'll give me someone interesting to talk to."  
  
Jack gave him a hurt look that none of them bought, and Shawn and Teal'c came back, Shawn carrying a backpack, Teal'c carrying a small duffle bag.  
  
"Do you have everything?"  
  
"Yes, mom."  
  
"Do what Jack tells you."  
  
"I always do."  
  
Jack nodded his agreement.  
  
"I'll take care of him, Dotty." Jack promised. He always made the same promise when he took Shawn anywhere, and Shawn's mother always had a feeling when he said it, that he truly meant he'd make sure nothing stopped him from bringing her son back to her. It was another reason Dotty liked Jack so much. Mothers know, after all.  
  
"Barring bad roads and too much birthday cake, we should be back some time Sunday afternoon."  
  
"Just drive safely, Jack."  
  
"I always do."  
  
He waited while she hugged her son, then the four went out to Jack's truck and loaded Shawn's stuff in the back with the rest of their things and Jack covered it all with a tarp to keep the snow off it while Daniel and Shawn piled into the club cab, and Teal'c got into the passenger seat.  
  
"There should be a lot of snow in the mountains, hey Jack?" Shawn asked when O'Neill got behind the wheel and pulled the truck out of the driveway.  
  
"Should be." He didn't sound quite as excited as Shawn did, and Daniel grinned.  
  
~*~  
  
"Teal'c? You got that map?"  
  
Jack was lost. Nothing new, really, but it was a pain in the butt to be lost in the Rockies when it was snowing. At least it wasn't dark yet. Although it would be soon.  
  
"Here, O'Neill."  
  
Teal'c handed over the map that Miyra had faxed to Jack, and O'Neill glanced down at it without bothering to slow the truck. Of course, he was going all of fifteen miles an hour, so it wasn't too dangerous.  
  
"Huh. Maybe we're not lost, after all." Jack mumbled, more to himself. "The road should be around here somewhere."  
  
"There is a sign, O'Neill," Teal'c said, pointing ahead. Sure enough, there it was. A regular Highway sign and attached to the wooden post that was holding it up was a bright neon yellow sign as well. This one stating that the Stephens' party was on the turn coming up.  
  
"We had faith in you, Jack," Daniel said.  
  
"Yeah," Shawn agreed.  
  
Jack looked over at Teal'c, who said nothing.  
  
~*~  
  
They pulled up to the lodge about half an hour after taking the turn off the main road, and as Jack parked the truck he couldn't help but be impressed. He wasn't the only one.  
  
"Nice place," Daniel said.  
  
"It's Andrew's grandma's. They rent it out in the summer for hunting parties, and in the winter for skiing trips, but it's closed for this weekend." Shawn, of course, knew everything about the place.  
  
As they got out of the truck and started gathering their stuff from the back, the door opened, and a small swarm of people came out, both young and old.  
  
"Jack! Daniel! Murray!"  
  
Boys came running up to them, demanding hugs that the three were more than happy to give out, and Jack grinned as he swept Simon up into his arms and hugged the boy close.  
  
"Hey you guys! How are you?"  
  
"Great!"  
  
"Did you get lost?"  
  
"We almost did."  
  
"I knew the way!"  
  
A large black lab came ambling up, barking excitedly and stopping at Teal'c, who set Andrew down and reached down and scratched her.  
  
"This is Andrew's canine, Shadow." Teal'c told Jack and Daniel, who hadn't seen the dog before. "Although she has gained some weight since I saw her last."  
  
"She's going to have puppies," Andrew informed them, proudly. "Champion hunters, too. You'll see."  
  
"Boys! Let them get inside before they freeze!" A voice came from the porch of the lodge, and the boys all gathered up the luggage and took off with it back inside, taking Shawn with them and leaving Jack, Teal'c and Daniel to walk at a more sedate pace with the black lab waddling happily next to Teal'c.  
  
"Mr. Stephens," Jack said with a smile, holding his hand out. "It's good to see you again."  
  
"You, too, Colonel." David Stephens said with a smile. Andrew's father was a Captain in the Colorado Army Reserves, and it showed in his bearings. He was a strong, slender man, who was deeply tanned, and had a ready smile. Especially for the guys that his son was so fond of.  
  
"Daniel. Murray. It's a pleasure to see you both again. Come inside, and I'll introduce you to everyone you might not know."  
  
He turned and led the way inside, followed closely by the other adults that had come out to the porch to greet them. Shadow was on Teal'c's heels as they walked in, and Daniel and Jack entered last.  
  
"So far so good, Jack," Daniel said, grinning.  
  
"It's still early." 


	3. 03

Author's note: In Good Morning Campers!, Andrew was actually the only Camper (male or female) that had a surname, so I actually had to go back and double check to see what it was. I figured if I didn't, someone else would. This is the chapter where we learn all the family names, so if you're making a chart, now is the time to get out the paper!  
  
"Well, let's see..."  
  
Andrew's dad had led them into the main living area of the lodge. It was a huge room, with a definite rustic décor, although it was obvious to the three men that there were also all the comforts of modern conveniences. Although there was a huge fireplace with a roaring fire, the room was equally warm where they entered it. Which was a fair distance away, and should have been colder. The walls were wooden, with huge support beams, and there were half a dozen couches and comfortable chairs scattered throughout. Above the mantle was the stuffed head of a large moose - obviously not killed anywhere in the area - and above the door that Jack, Teal'c and Daniel entered, there was a stuffed Elk head, that could have been bagged in that area. Both animals had huge racks of antlers, and even Jack - who wasn't all that much of a hunter - had to be impressed by their size.  
  
There was a fairly large group of people in the room, but it was large enough to hold them all comfortably, and Andrew's dad brought the three newcomers into the middle of the room, and introduced them.  
  
"Everyone, I'm pretty sure most of you have met Murray, here, but this is Colonel Jack O'Neill, and this is Daniel Jackson."  
  
"Doctor Daniel Jackson." Heads turned at the voice, and a man walked up. He was about twenty-five years old, well dressed and neatly turned out, and was staring at Daniel as though he'd seen Moses himself. "It's a true pleasure to meet you, Doctor Jackson!" He held his hand out and Daniel took it.  
  
"You know him, Darrin?" Andrew's father asked, interestedly.  
  
The man shook his head, still smiling. "I've never met him, David, but this man's a genius!" He turned back to Daniel, who was almost blushing Jack noticed with a slight grin of his own. "I've read everything you've ever written, Doctor Jackson. I can't believe more people don't accept your theories. They make so much more sense than anyone else's."  
  
"Thank you," Daniel said. Jack was sure he was blushing, now. "Please, call me Daniel, will you?"  
  
"Thank you, Daniel, I'd be honored." Darrin turned to Jack, and held out his hand as well, smiling. "Darrin Stephens. I'm Andrew's uncle." He introduced himself. "Forgive me my theatrics, but your friend is well ahead of his time."  
  
"Jack O'Neill," Jack said, smiling at Daniel's discomfort. "It's a pleasure."  
  
"Do you work with Daniel, Jack?"  
  
"Only sometimes. Mostly I just listen and try to soak in his genius."  
  
It was obvious Darrin was trying to decide if Jack was serious or not, but Andrew's dad interrupted before he could make up his mind. He took Daniel by one elbow, and gestured for Jack to follow as they made the rounds of all Andrew's relatives, and David introduced them, but Jack was sure he'd never remember them all.  
  
A pair of older women were sitting on the sofa nearest to the roaring fire. They were Andrew's grandmothers and were a study in contrasts if Jack had ever seen one. Shelby was a stout woman with a shock of gray hair that hung in two braids down past her shoulders, and Lucille was a thin woman with hair as dark as any Jack had ever seen. Hers was styled in a short cut that reminded him of Sam's. The only thing the two women had in common was that both were friendly, with warm, open faces that welcomed him and Daniel immediately.  
  
"This is Andrew's sister, Anna," David said, introducing the pair to a young woman who was probably sixteen. She smiled and shook Jack's hand, then took Daniel's with a look that Jack had seen before. The Colonel could almost see the wheels turning in her head as she looked at the Archeologist speculatively. Jack grinned. This weekend was just getting better and better.  
  
"So, you're famous, huh Daniel?" Anna asked.  
  
"Um... infamous would be more like it," Daniel said, pulling his hand back as soon as he could politely do so. He smiled, uncomfortably, and turned to see who was next to be introduced.  
  
"These are my nieces, Brittany and Carol."  
  
These two were twins. They were perhaps thirty or so, and identical smiles welcomed Jack and Daniel as they reached out to shake hands.  
  
"Hi."  
  
"Hello."  
  
"You're a Colonel, huh? That ought to be interesting." The remark was cryptic, but Jack didn't ask her what she meant. He figured he'd find out eventually.  
  
"What do you do, Daniel?" Carol asked, wondering what had excited her uncle so much.  
  
"I'm an archeologist."  
  
"Ah." She gave him a polite smile, but wasn't anywhere near as enthusiastic as her uncle had been. Jack noticed that these two were staring at him, much the same way the younger Anna had been looking at Daniel, and it was his turn to feel flustered, much to Daniel's amusement.  
  
Teal'c walked over to join the introductions, now, since they were getting into people that he didn't know, and Jack was glad, since the twins drew back slightly, giving O'Neill a bit of space.  
  
"This is my youngest brother Scott, his wife Jenny, and their son Micah."  
  
They all shook hands, but Jenny had her hands full of Micah, who wasn't quite two, so she just nodded to them.  
  
"That's it for now," David said, smiling. "Everyone else will be here in the morning, so we'll have to wait. How about I give you three a tour of the place before dinner, and show you your rooms?"  
  
"That'd be fine, David, thanks."  
  
Waving a farewell to the others, the four men walked down the hall. 


	4. 04

Author's Note: I'm afraid this chapter will be one of those that are more informative than interesting. I need to describe where they are, so I need to do the tour, and it's just not all that exciting. Sorry!  
  
~*~  
  
The lodge was impressive on the outside, but it was even more so on the inside. There was a large dining room, with a huge table that could seat at least twenty, Jack was sure. These walls were wood as well, a theme that was repeated thru out the entire lodge, giving it a rugged, rustic look - which was, of course, intentional. Besides the main living room area, there was also another room. A large family room. This one was less formal, but still well maintained. There was a stereo system, a TV, and DVD player, with a well-stocked shelf of movies. This room was also made far more personable by the fact that this was obviously where Andrew's grandmother showcased her family.  
  
There were literally walls of photos in frames of every size and shape. School pictures, wedding pictures, baby photos. Photos of people hunting, sailing, skiing, and even one where someone had jumped out of an airplane from the looks of it. Whatever else she was, Andrew's grandmother was proud of her family.  
  
The boys had gathered here, and were crowded around the TV, taking turns playing video games and yelling excited instructions to whoever was at the controls. They all looked up when Jack and the others appeared at the doorway.  
  
"This is the kid's room," David said, waving his hand as though it were obvious. There were sleeping bags all over the floor, and it was obvious that the boys were going to be sacked out here for the weekend.  
  
"Murray!"  
  
"Jack!"  
  
"Daniel!"  
  
The boys came rushing up, grinning excitedly.  
  
"How do you like the place?" Andrew asked, leaning down to scratch Shadow's ears. The black lab had decided to follow the group on their tour, and was waddling happily beside Jack.  
  
"It's nice," Jack said, wrapping an arm around Devon, who'd come up for a hug. "Think your grandma will adopt me?"  
  
"We could ask!" Andrew said, smiling.  
  
"I'm giving them a tour of the place, now, Andrew," David told his son. "Did you guys put their stuff in their rooms?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Okay. Finish your games, dinner will be in less than an hour."  
  
"Okay, dad."  
  
As a group, the boys turned and went back to their game, although Shawn was obviously torn between going with Jack and the others and hanging out with his friends. Jack shooed him off, making the decision easy for him. Shawn needed time with kids his age, and Jack was going to make sure he got some.  
  
"The boys are sleeping in there?" Daniel asked as they walked down the hall.  
  
"Yup. It seemed easier for us to do it that way, since it would save more of the bedrooms for the adults. Speaking of which..."  
  
He led them up a wide staircase, and to a hallway. Opening the first door on the right, he showed them a fair sized bedroom with two beds. "This is where you and Murray will be staying, Daniel." He looked at Jack. "We made the sleeping arrangements when we thought Sam was coming still, so we put the two of you together in a single room. Since she's not, you'll have your own room, but I guess Rank Hath its Privileges, eh?"  
  
Jack smiled. Not that he minded sharing a room, especially since the room Teal'c and Daniel had wasn't all that small, but his own room was even better.  
  
"Sounds fine with me."  
  
"It's across the hall." He pointed at the door, but didn't open it; instead he continued walking down the hallway. "All the bedrooms are upstairs, except for Shelby's and my mother's. They can't handle the stairs very well anymore. We have 12 bedrooms – singles and doubles – but most of them are rented out, usually. This weekend is just for family and friends, though, so there won't be anyone we don't know."  
  
He led them down a staircase that was on the opposite end of the one they'd walked up. This one led down to a foyer that had several openings. One lead back into a large room that held yet more sofas and chairs and another fireplace, although there wasn't a fire in this one. Another doorway led to the kitchen. Another obviously led outside, and David took them through the last one, which went into a room that looked like a well-lit storage closet. Only larger than many, and with several benches lining the wall.  
  
There were racks of skis, here, and snowboards, and assorted other items, such as an actual toboggan, a number of inner tubes (already inflated and neatly stacked in a corner) ski poles, boots, bindings, coats, scarves, goggles, masks, helmets, ropes, snow shoes, and things that Jack didn't have a clue what they might be used for. David gave the three a chance to look at the stuff, and grinned.  
  
"We'll be skiing tomorrow, so I thought I'd show you the supply room. Are you guys skiers? I know Murray hasn't tried it, but what about you two?"  
  
"I've never done it," Daniel said.  
  
Jack shook his head as well. The last thing he really wanted to do was speed down a mountain with no way to stop except a sudden meeting with a tree, or worse, a rock. He hadn't been joking with Sam about that whole Wide World of Sports thing. It had been what stopped him from learning to ski when he'd had the opportunity in the first place.  
  
"I've never tried it, either. Sorry."  
  
"No problem. The twins are ski instructors, so we'll have them give the three of you lessons."  
  
"Oh, that'll be fun." Daniel said, grinning. Better the twins, who seemed to be more interested in Jack than in him.  
  
Jack scowled. He wasn't sure if Daniel meant the skiing or the lesson, but he had a feeling it wasn't the skiing.  
  
A bell started clanging somewhere off in the lodge and David interrupted them before Jack could say anything.  
  
"That's the dinner bell. We'd better go eat before that mob of boys eat it all." 


	5. 05

They walked to the dining room, and Jack saw that the huge table had been set and was looking fabulous. The family didn't differentiate between the boys and the adults, and there were china plates and crystal wineglasses at every place, although there were a few more napkins at the table than there might have been if it had been an adult only affair. He paused at the doorway, watching as everyone took their seats.  
  
"Jack!" Shawn was waving wildly at him to take the spot beside him. Jack nodded, and then groaned inwardly as he sat down and had the spot next to him taken by Brittany. Or was it Carol? Jack was pretty certain it was Brittany. The two looked identical, but they were wearing different clothing.  
  
He smiled at Shawn, and then gave a polite nod to the woman seated beside him. She smiled, and laid her napkin in her lap.  
  
"We're having ribs, Jack," she told him. "You'll love them. Grandma makes her own barbeque sauce."  
  
"Sounds great."  
  
It did sound great. Jack loved ribs. He watched as the rest of the table filled up. Andrew sat next to Teal'c, and Simon took the chair on the other side of the Jaffa. Daniel had Devon on one side of him, but Darrin had managed to get the seat on the other, which was across from Jack, so he could clearly hear the younger man already trying to engage Daniel in a conversation about his theories of ancient Egypt. Of course, at the same time, Devon was telling him all about what he'd been doing that week at school, and Anna, who was seated next to Devon was practically leaning over the boy in her own attempts to talk to Daniel. All in all, if he could figure out how to ward off Brittany, Jack figured he'd thoroughly enjoy the dinner entertainment.  
  
"Are you a drinker, Jack?" Scott asked. Andrew's uncle had walked into the dining room with a bottle of wine, and was filling his mother's glass.  
  
"At times," Jack said, smiling as he edged his chair a little closer to Shawn's. Brittany seemed to be seated on the edge of her own. Unfortunately, it was the edge closest to Jack.  
  
"Want wine? Or a beer?"  
  
"I'll have a beer. In the bottle, is fine."  
  
"Shawn?"  
  
The boy looked over when Scott called his name.  
  
"Do you want sparkling grape juice that looks like wine? Or would you like milk?"  
  
Grinning at being involved in choosing his own drink, Shawn opted for milk. Straight up.  
  
Jack smiled, and Scott laughed as he filled the boy's glass and moved on down the table, giving each diner whatever they asked for. Jack watched as he stopped at Jenny, who had Micah in the high chair next to her, and filled her glass with a white wine. She smiled up at him, and O'Neill felt a pang and wished that Sam was there with him.  
  
"I was sorry that Sam couldn't make it, Jack," Miyra said as she sat down on the other side of Brittany. Jack turned, wondering if he'd looked so obvious, and flushing slightly.  
  
"Yes, I was, too." He said. "She would have loved this place. It's very nice."  
  
"Wait until tomorrow, and we'll show you the outside. It looks wonderful after a snowfall."  
  
"Who's Sam, Jack?" Brittany asked, looking down at his hand, obviously searching for a wedding ring.  
  
"Jack's girl friend!" Andrew said from his spot next to Teal'c.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
Jack opened his mouth to say something, but Simon beat him to it.  
  
"Yeah, she's a Major in the Air Force."  
  
"How nice." Brittany seemed to find the rest of her chair, suddenly, and Jack didn't feel quite as pressed in on. "What's she like?"  
  
Again Jack opened his mouth, but again, he didn't get a chance to say anything. The boys were eager to share their knowledge.  
  
"She's tall!"  
  
"And pretty!"  
  
"She has blonde hair!"  
  
"Short, like grandma's."  
  
"She's smart, too!"  
  
"And a doctor, like Daniel."  
  
"Yeah, but she's not an archonolomist like him."  
  
"She's a physicist." Shawn said. The adults looked at him, but he gave them an innocent look back. "She is. A theoretical physicist."  
  
He was assuming they didn't believe him, but really they were just impressed that he'd managed to pronounce the words so clearly, when it was obvious his peers were having trouble with Daniel's job title.  
  
"He's right," Jack said, grinning at the boy. Shawn smiled back.  
  
"She's a genius." Tyler said, stoutly.  
  
"I'm sorry to have missed meeting her," Brittany said, smiling at the boys. "Why couldn't she make it?"  
  
"Her dad and her went on a trip to New York. He had to go, and she decided to go with him to spend a little time with him."  
  
"Sounds like fun."  
  
"Oh yeah."  
  
Brittany was going to say something else, but the arrival of a small rolling table filled with steaming food cut her off, and the topic turned to dinner as bowls of vegetables, and potatoes, rolls, biscuits, and salad were passed around, followed almost immediately by a huge platter of ribs smothered in barbeque sauce. As he loaded his plate, and watched the boys around him do the same, Jack couldn't understand why Andrew was so scrawny. 


	6. 06

"So, do you ski, Murray?" Shelby asked once everyone had started settling in to eat, and there weren't dishes passing in front of people. The older woman had met Teal'c before, but they'd never really discussed his likes and dislikes. She did find the man fascinating though.  
  
"I do not." Teal'c replied. "Nor have I ever 'sledded'."  
  
"You've never been sledding?" Anna asked, forgetting her own fascination with Daniel in her surprise.  
  
"Never."  
  
"Murray isn't from around here," Andrew told them all. "He was raised in Morocco. They don't have sledding there. You wouldn't believe some of the things he's never done."  
  
Of course, they'd had to come up with a cover story to explain the fact that Teal'c wasn't familiar with many of the usual customs that were so common among Americans, and the best thing Jack had thought of back when they'd been discussing it – right after their trip to camp – was to claim that Teal'c was a foreigner. It had worked remarkably well, even though the Jaffa had had to learn a little about Morocco just in case someone had actually been there.  
  
"Like what?" Anna asked.  
  
"We had to teach him about water balloon fights, and Twister and card games, and all sorts of things."  
  
"I'll be happy to teach you to ski tomorrow, Murray," Carol said from her seat next Simon.  
  
"Thank you," The Jaffa said, bowing his head slightly.  
  
"You'll have to teach Daniel and Jack, too," David said, smiling. "They've never skied, either."  
  
"That's no problem," Carol said, smiling. "I've taught a lot of new skiers."  
  
"I'll help," Brittany said, reaching out and resting her hand on Jack's leg under the table in a casual motion. "It's not as hard as it looks." Before Jack had to try and figure out how to move her hand without causing a scene, she moved it, and he wondered if maybe he was just being a little sensitive. He supposed it was possible, but he promised himself he was going to try and avoid sitting near her, though, whenever he could in the future.  
  
Dinner impressed Jack. Not because it was good - although it was excellent – but because Andrew's family, especially his grandmothers and parents, went all out to make sure that the boys were included in the conversations around the table. They were gracious hosts, and asked questions that included the boys and encouraged them to speak up. There was no such thing as 'children should be seen and not heard' at the Stephen's table, and Jack loved that. Of course, most of the conversation was centered around their trip to camp, which meant that Jack was definitely the center of interest, since he was the one that had taken the most injuries during that trip.  
  
He didn't mind, really. Although he could have done without the sympathetic looks the females around the table were sending him, even though it was obvious he'd survived the trip without permanent injury. As skillfully as he could, he sent the conversation to other highlights of camp, including talent night, which had the adults asking Shawn and Andrew to repeat their 'Who's on First?' duet, which they did, and did as well as Jack had remembered.  
  
"You Tango, Murray?" Lucille asked, looking surprised when the conversation turned to Teal'c's own performance at Talent night.  
  
"Indeed. I learned from one of the campers."  
  
"He's pretty good," Shawn confirmed.  
  
"That's wonderful." She smiled, wiping her hands clean of barbeque sauce. "I used to love to Tango with my husband. He was so graceful for a male."  
  
"Murray's graceful," Andrew told his grandmother. "You'd dance with my grandma if she asked you, wouldn't you, Murray?"  
  
"I would be honored," Teal'c said without skipping a beat. He hadn't actually planned to dance or anything, but he wasn't afraid to, either.  
  
Lucille smiled, but shook her head. "Perhaps later, when my fingers aren't quite so sticky." She wasn't going to impose on her guest just because her grandson thought it was a good idea to, although it was obvious that she was pleased by the offer.  
  
They all had sticky fingers, but the barbeque sauce had lived up to the reputation David gave it as far as Jack was concerned. It had been delicious. He even considered that he might need to ask for the recipe, even though he wasn't much for cooking.  
  
Wet towels were handed out when the meal was finished, and everyone started stacking their plates after they'd wiped their hands clean. Jenny handed Micah to her husband. The toddler was covered in sauce, and had managed to smear everything in the vicinity as well.  
  
"You take him and wash him up, and I'll start in on the dishes."  
  
"Let me help you with that," Jack said, standing up. He didn't mind doing dishes. Besides, he was tired of Brittany's little touches, and ready to move.  
  
"Oh, that's not necessary, Jack," Jenny said, smiling. "We can do them. You probably could use a chance to get settled in."  
  
"Nah, I'd love to help," Jack insisted, picking up the stack of plates as the others either got up to move into the other room, or reached for other dishes to help clear off the table. The boys offered to help, but they weren't trusted with the china and wine glasses when everyone knew their hands were still probably a little greasy. They were sent to clean up and go play. "It was really a good meal, and I'd like to contribute."  
  
She agreed, of course, and Jack soon found himself loading up the dishwasher under Shadow's watchful eye.  
  
"Don't give her any bones, Jack," Jenny said, smiling at the way the black lab was giving the Colonel her best sad puppy eyes and hoping for a treat. "They're not good for her, and the barbeque sauce might make her sick in her condition."  
  
Since Jack didn't know all that much about pregnant dogs, he was more than willing to take her word for it. He grinned and scratched the soft black ears. "Sorry, girl. None for you."  
  
"There's a bag of treats on the fridge. You can give her a couple of them. That way she doesn't make you feel too guilty."  
  
Obviously Jenny had a lot of experience with Shadow, because Jack actually HAD found himself feeling guilty for depriving the dog of a bone. He reached for the bag, and Shadow's eyes lit up. She knew what that was. She barked, excitedly, and Jack handed her one of the treats. Which vanished in an instant.  
  
"Come on, Jack," Anna said, walking into the kitchen just them with a salad bowl. "You've got to make her work for it." The girl handed Jack the bowl and took one of the treats.  
  
"Shadow, sit."  
  
The dog immediately plopped her rear to the floor.  
  
"Now speak."  
  
Woof!  
  
Anna handed her a treat, and grinned at Jack. "See? She'll get lazy if you don't make her do her tricks. And probably disappointed, since I know she likes showing off."  
  
"Anna, the dishes are pretty much done," Jenny said interrupting. "Why don't you take Jack into the living room? He's done enough work. Thanks for the help Jack."  
  
"Okay, Jenny."  
  
Anna reached out and took the salad bowl back and put it on the counter, then put her arm through his own, and led him out of the room.  
  
"They're going to start the games, soon. You won't want to miss that, Jack." 


	7. 07

Author's Note: Sorry this one took so long! I'll put another out tonight, sometime, but it might be the middle of the night. I have irregular sleeping hours, so you never know when I might get on the comp and type...  
  
~*~  
  
The two of them walked into the main living room and Jack saw that the couches and chairs had been pushed out of the way to make a large space in the middle of the room. Shelby and Lucille were dividing the family members and friends into teams of two, with each grandmother being a captain.  
  
"Jack, you're on my team," Lucille called as he entered, and Anna pushed him over towards that side of the room as she moved to sit with her father, who was on Shelby's team.  
  
"What are we playing?" He asked as he sat down on one of the sofas.  
  
"Apparently we are playing various games, O'Neill," Teal'c said as he sat down next to Jack, right before Brittany could. Obviously unwilling to challenge the Jaffa for the spot, Brittany went over and sat next to Shawn, who was on the other side of Jack.  
  
"We're starting with Charades." Lucille told him. "You know how to play?"  
  
Jack nodded, but Teal'c shook his head.  
  
"It's easy, Murray," Andrew assured him. "You just try to get people to guess the phrase without using any words. Only actions. You act them out."  
  
Teal'c looked as though he could have thought of a dozen more interesting things he could do than act out phrases, but he wasn't going to complain. If this was what they wanted him to do, then this was what he'd do.  
  
"It's fun, Teal'c," Jack said, grinning. "You'll see."  
  
He was actually looking forward to this. Jack didn't really get a lot of time for fun and games in his life. Usually it was always so life or death with him and the people around him. Andrew's family was a great group of people, and it was truly a joy to spend down time with them and the boys that he cared so much for. The only thing missing was Sam.  
  
"Are we ready?" David asked from the other team.  
  
Everyone nodded, and there were a few excited yells from the boys, who were evenly divided amongst the grownups.  
  
"Okay, we have a hat, and what we did was take a bunch of cards from the Pictionary game and put them in the hat. What that game wants you to draw, we want you to act out." He held up the hat, which was an old fedora, and pulled cards out to show them. "If you boys get a word you don't know, just ask and someone on the other team will take you into the kitchen and tell you what it is. There are different colors on the cards, which are different categories, so we'll roll a multi colored die to see which color you act out. Everyone understand?"  
  
Everyone nodded, again, and David pulled out a coin.  
  
"Mom? Call it." He flipped the coin, and Lucille called heads. It came out heads, and they went first.  
  
"Jack?" Lucille looked at the Colonel, "You want to do the honors?"  
  
The boys on both teams cheered as Jack stood up and went over to David, who was holding the hat. He pulled out a card, and rolled the die, and compared the color on the die to the one on the card. And groaned. 'Makeup'? He smiled, and looked at his team to see if they were ready, and David started the timer. He'd have 60 seconds to get his team to guess the word.  
  
When he saw that all eyes were on him – including the other team as well – Jack started primping like a female, tossing his hair over his shoulder and batting his eyes.  
  
"You're a girl!" Scott called.  
  
"A hottie!" Lucille called.  
  
Jack nodded, then acted like he was putting on lipstick.  
  
"You've got a date!" Shawn called.  
  
"Getting married!"  
  
"Lipstick! You're putting on lipstick!"  
  
He nodded again, and then went all out, pretending to put on mascara and powdering his nose. Around him the suggestions flew.  
  
"You're a hooker!"  
  
"A dancer!"  
  
"You are putting make up on."  
  
"Yes!" He grinned and pointed at Teal'c.  
  
"Good job, Murray!" Andrew called. Jenny had come into the room during Jack's performance and had sat down on the arm of the sofa, next to Teal'c. She slapped him on the shoulder.  
  
"Good guess, Murray!"  
  
The Jaffa beamed.  
  
"Our turn!"  
  
Shelby decided to let one of her boys go first, and Tyler went up to the front of the room and drew a card out of the hat, then rolled the die. And so the game began.  
  
Jack wasn't the only one who enjoyed himself that evening. The boys, who were usually so much more interested in video games and movies and technology, had a ball. They didn't know all the words, and some of them had trouble acting out the words they did know, but it was fun for them. Made even more so by the fact that the adults were always willing to help. Even Teal'c enjoyed the game more than he thought he would. The fact that his first word he had to act out was 'ballerina' made the others laugh, but Teal'c had long discovered the difference between being laughed at and being laughed with, and he found it as entertaining as the others. Once Anna had taken him into the kitchen and told him what a ballerina was and gave him a few suggestions on how one acted.  
  
The night rolled on, with everyone yelling and laughing, and the game getting a little rowdy at the end, when Daniel had to act out Sumo Wrestler, and decided to use Andrew as a supporting cast member by bumping his belly against the boy, who'd been standing next to the sofa, and knocking him back into Teal'c. His team had guessed the word immediately, much to Anna's amusement.  
  
It was fairly late when Lucille finally decided to call it a night. There were groans and complaints – and not just from the boys – when she told everyone to get to bed.  
  
"We've got a busy day tomorrow," she told everyone, and Shelby nodded. The two matriarchs shooed them all off to bed, and Jack followed Shawn and the boys to make sure they were settled before he went to his room. David, Daniel and Teal'c followed him.  
  
"No video games, guys," David told the boys when they got into the room.  
  
"Okay, dad."  
  
"And no staying up late talking. We're going to be up early tomorrow, and I don't want grumpy guys."  
  
"Okay."  
  
David left and Jack leaned against the doorframe and watched as the boys all got into their sleeping bags.  
  
"We'll see you in the morning, guys," Daniel said, smiling. He was strongly reminded of the times they sent the boys to bed while they'd been at camp. Something Teal'c and Jack were also remembering. The boys all said their good nights, and with a sigh, Jack turned off the light and the three of them walked up the stairs.  
  
"You're pretty quiet all of the sudden, Jack." Daniel noticed when they reached the top of the staircase. "Missing someone?"  
  
Jack didn't bother to hide it. He nodded.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Major Carter would have enjoyed the evening's festivities," Teal'c said. "I, too, wish she had been here for them."  
  
"If you get too lonely, you can always come in and sleep with us," Daniel said, grinning.  
  
"I'll never get that lonely," O'Neill told him with a mock look of horror. "I'll see you guys in the morning."  
  
They went into their room and Jack went across the hall to his own.  
  
His bag was sitting on the bed, which was huge, and looked incredibly comfortable. There was a padded hope chest at the bottom of it, and Jack set his bag on the chest and changed into a pair of sweats to sleep in. The room was about the same size and Teal'c and Daniel's, and when Jack looked out the window into the dark night he could see snow falling in the light of the porch light, so he knew he'd have a pretty nice view once the sun came up.  
  
Wishing once more that Sam was with him, Jack turned off the light and went to bed, sliding under the blankets and feeling the down comforter smother him in warmth immediately. He thought it would take him longer to fall asleep, but the bed was soft, the blankets were warm, and he'd just had a wonderful evening with a great group of people, and Jack was about as relaxed as he ever got. He fell asleep almost immediately.  
  
~*~  
  
Sometime in the dark of the night, a figure appeared at the door to Jack's room. She nudged the door open slightly, and looked inside. Seeing him asleep, she started to turn and leave, but something made her change her mind, and the figure padded silently over to the bed.  
  
The Soldier in Jack was aware of another presence in the room as soon as the door opened slightly. The Soldier classified the interloper, deciding if the intruder was a threat or a friend, and immediately the Soldier relaxed, and went dormant once more, leaving Jack still asleep. When the warm body joined him on the bed, Jack reached out automatically in his sleep, aware in a small corner of his mind that if it was someone or something dangerous he'd already have been awake. He cuddled against her, his hand caressing her even as he slept, and he felt the body move closer to him in response. Jack sighed silently, and slept on into the night.  
  
~*~  
  
AN: Little cliffhanger for you all... whoever could it be? 


	8. 08

Author's Note: Sorry! I tried to get it out to you all yesterday, but the site wasn't working!  
  
~*~  
  
Jack O'Neill had never been a guy who was able to wake up quickly. Oh, it was one thing to wake up quickly if someone was shooting at you. That didn't count. But when he was home, on a Saturday, or Sunday morning, and there was no reason to get up early, he normally didn't. He liked to give himself as much time as he needed to wake up, and he had to admit that nothing was nicer than slowly coming into the day. Especially since he knew the alternative, which was abrupt waking with bullets or staff weapons. That was no fun at all.  
  
So when he felt himself starting to come awake in the huge bed in the Stephen's lodge on Saturday morning, Jack had every intention of doing it slowly. Maybe a little stretching, just to get the blood flowing, a little extra napping, a little playing with his pillow to get his head just right, and then maybe he'd open his eyes and see about beginning his day.  
  
With this in mind, it wasn't entirely Jack's fault that he didn't notice immediately what was going on around him. He was only vaguely aware of the warm body next to him, and the fact that his hand was resting comfortably on it. He was also only distantly aware of the odd noises that had been invading his sleep for most of the night. Noises that weren't so uncommon that they concerned him while he slept, but now that he was beginning to wake up, they were beginning to be noticeable.  
  
He moved his hand slightly, absently thinking that it must be Sam next to him, but then his sleepy mind began noticing differences. Big differences. For one thing, Sam was smooth, and soft, and curvy. And the body next to him wasn't any of those. Just as this was growing on him that something might be going on, and it might be worth opening his eyes to see what it was, Jack felt something nuzzle his hand, and then a small mouth caught hold of his pinky and began suckling on it.  
  
THAT got his attention. His eyes snapped open and he looked beside him, fearing the worst, but not sure what even the worst could be. What he didn't expect was what he saw. Sometime during the night Shadow had joined him on his bed. Then she'd apparently decided he needed even more company, because there was an entire row of puppies snuggled against her side, each of them eagerly enjoying their breakfast, except for the one who'd mistaken Jack's finger as a milk source. This one was still trying to get breakfast, but wasn't having any luck and was being very vocal about its unhappiness and disappointment.  
  
He grinned, despite himself, and gently pulled his finger out of the puppy's mouth, and guided its little black head to its mother's belly where it, too, could have breakfast. Ten puppies, he counted. Eight buff colored puppies and two little black ones. Jack had seen puppies before, of course, but never such young ones. These didn't even have their eyes opened, yet. Which at least gave the little black one an excuse for its mistake. He watched them for a moment longer, and then decided that he'd better go tell someone.  
  
Slipping out of his bed carefully to avoid disturbing Shadow and her new brood, Jack walked to the already partially opened door and out into the hallway. The place was quiet, which told him that it was probably pretty early. He couldn't even hear noise coming from the boys' room as he walked down the stairs, his bare feet making no noise. He saw a light on in the kitchen and walked that way, and found Jenny there with Micah, who was looking fussy.  
  
Jenny smiled at him when she saw him walking in. He looked like he just woke up, especially since all he was wearing was his sweats, with his dog tags and the ever-present arrowhead necklace hanging against his bare chest.  
  
"Good morning, Jack. You're up early."  
  
"Morning, Jenny. I really didn't have much choice," he said, smiling.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yeah. Apparently I have the softest bed around, because Shadow decided to load it up with puppies sometime in the middle of the night."  
  
"She didn't!"  
  
"Oh, she did."  
  
Jenny smiled broadly, and scooped up Micah.  
  
"Can we go see them?" She asked.  
  
"Hey, I'm not the proud father," Jack said, still smiling. "But I'm sure someone should see this."  
  
He turned and led her back to his room, and held the door open for her. Jenny went straight to the bed, where Shadow thumped her tail happily to see her.  
  
"Oh, little girl! What did you do?" Jenny asked, cooing at the dog as she sat carefully on the edge of the bed.  
  
"Hold him, Jack, would you?" She asked, handing Micah over to the rumpled looking Colonel. Jack looked at the boy as he looked at Jack, and one little hand reached for the shiny dog tags hanging from Jack's neck. He would accept being held by Jack as long as there was something for him to play with, apparently.  
  
Jenny picked up one of the puppies, who squealed unhappily to be pulled away from its breakfast, but quieted when she cuddled him.  
  
"Oh, he's soooo cute!"  
  
"Who's cute?" A voice asked from the doorway. They looked over and saw Scott at the door, and Jenny held up the puppy in her hand.  
  
"Shadow left Jack a present in his bed last night."  
  
"Ten of them," Jack confirmed as Scott walked into the room to get a better look. He reached for the puppy that his wife handed him.  
  
"I should go wake up Andrew," He said, snuggling the puppy.  
  
"I can do it," Jack offered.  
  
"No," Jenny said. "Let's get a picture first. They were born in Jack's bed, I want to save the moment." She put the puppy back down next to her mother and hurried quietly out of the room.  
  
"Quite a thing to wake up, to, huh?" Scott said, grinning at Jack.  
  
"Especially since this one was trying to nurse my finger." Jack agreed, pointing at the black puppy that was ignoring everything else in favor of his breakfast with one hand, and holding Micah easily in the other. The toddler was more interested in Jack's dog tags than he was puppies, which was just as well.  
  
Scott laughed. "I'll bet that woke you up in a hurry."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Jenny returned, and took the puppy from her husband and put it back against Shadow's side. Then she handed a digital camera to Scott, and took Micah from Jack, after a battle for the dog tags which Jack conceded and slipped them off his head.  
  
"Get on the bed next to Shadow, Jack."  
  
"Let me get a shirt-"  
  
"No, just do it like you were when you found them." Jenny instructed, smiling. "It's going to be a great picture."  
  
Jack didn't bother to argue. He got on the bed, stretching out like she told him to. He was glad Shadow was a good natured dog, because Jenny took forever to get Jack into the position she wanted him in for the 'perfect' picture, and Jack couldn't imagine any other new mother so willing to let someone she barely knew so close to her puppies.  
  
"These are going to be perfect, Jack," Jenny said, smiling as she started clicking away with the camera. 


	9. 09

In the next hour everyone in the lodge had been to Jack's room to see the puppies. Even Shelby and Lucille, who normally would have had to just looked at the pictures since they weren't so good with stairs anymore, went. Teal'c offered his arm to Shelby, allowing her to lean heavily on him on the way up the stairs, and Darrin helped his mother.  
  
Andrew was ecstatic. He cooed at Shadow, and petted her and made a great deal out of her puppies, while the rest of the boys looked on, but didn't touch, since they didn't want too many people handling the newborns. Time enough for that when they were a little older. The camera was put to good use, however, and Jack had a feeling that there would soon be a lot more pictures added to the walls of the room the boys had slept in.  
  
David brought up a large wicker basket, and set it in the corner of Jack's room, as far from the door as he could.  
  
"We'll let her keep the comforter, since she made such a mess of it," He decided, as everyone picked up a puppy or two and held them while Andrew's dad put the soft comforter into the wicker basket and cajoled Shadow into getting into it. Once she was settled, the puppies were returned to her and Andrew and his friends ran down to the kitchen to get her a bowl of water and some food. Then they all left the room so Jack could get dressed.  
  
When he came downstairs to join the others, he found most of them were in the living room, already looking at pictures that had been printed off the computer. The boys had been gathered around Teal'c and Daniel – actually, Simon was pretty much sprawled on Teal'c, and Shawn was more or less sprawled on Daniel, since they were all sitting on the same large sofa and it wasn't really large enough. They were admiring the pictures and handing them around and asking Andrew what he was going to name them.  
  
"Jack!"  
  
All heads turned – including the adults – as Jack entered the room. Shawn rolled off Daniel and walked over, grinning up at him. O'Neill rested his hand on the top of the boy's head for a moment – sort of a greeting mixed in with a wordless 'I love you', and then looked around. He smelled coffee. And wanted some in the worst way. The other adults waved a good morning to him, but they were all caught up in looking at the pictures. Apparently, there'd been a number of bets on Shadow's litter – colors of the puppies, day they'd be born, how many, male and female ratios, etc. - and they were figuring the winners out.  
  
"Coffee, Jack?" Asked Brittany, walking over with a steaming cup. Jack smiled, and took it gratefully.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
He took an appreciative sip, and Brittany grinned.  
  
"Ready to learn to ski?"  
  
"Before breakfast?"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Well, because he didn't want to crash and die, for one thing. Of course, he didn't say this; he just thought it to himself. He was trying to think of something to say to get out of it, but his mind wasn't quick enough.  
  
"Okay."  
  
He turned and looked at the sofa.  
  
"You guys coming?"  
  
"Carol said she'd teach us after breakfast," Daniel said, grinning. "Besides, it's cold outside, and I'm warm."  
  
"I will wait, O'Neill." Teal'c wasn't in all that much of a hurry to learn to ski anyways, and if he could put it off until later, that would be fine.  
  
"Just you and me, Jack," Brittany said, smiling. "Come on, I'll get you suited up."  
  
"Good luck!" Daniel called as Jack followed his instructor to the supply room. Or equipment room, as she called it when they got there.  
  
~*~  
  
"You'll want these," Brittany said, handing Jack a pair of snow pants, and a loose jacket. "They're a lot warmer than jeans, and they're water proof." She sorted through the shelves of gear as Jack put them on, and then handed him gloves and goggles, and a pair of ski poles, and picked up a pair of boots and skis and carried them all out of the room and into the back foyer.  
  
"Skiing isn't all that hard, Jack. It just takes balance and good knees."  
  
Great.  
  
She had him put on the boots while she went back into the room and got her own gear, then they went outside, Jack finding it very difficult to walk in the uncomfortable boots.  
  
The snow had stopped sometime during the night, and the sun was almost blinding as it reflected off the brilliant snow. The lodge was covered in a thick layer of white, and the trees were blanketed as well. It was beautiful. Brittany led him over to an area that was cleared of trees all the way up a very steep looking hill. To one side there was a machine of some kind with a thick heavy rope that went all the way up the hill. Brittany explained that this was the towrope.  
  
"You just hold on and it pulls you up the hill. When you get as far up as you ant to go – or when you reach the end of it – you just let go and head down the hill." She smiled. "You're not quite ready for that, though."  
  
No, he wasn't. Jack looked up the slope, and then at the rope, and then at the skis he was carrying. All he could think of was the theme song to the opening credits of the Wide World of Sports.  
  
"Don't look so panicked, Jack," Brittany said, smiling at him as reassuringly as she could. She was used to seeing trepidation on the faces of the people she was teaching to ski, and was doing her best to keep him from getting too nervous. She'd even stopped flirting with him! "Skiing isn't that hard, I promise. You'll see."  
  
Jack nodded, but didn't say anything as she set her skis down on the snow, and motioned for him to do the same. As she showed him how to put his boots into the bindings, she patted his shoulder, thinking he still looked a little nervous.  
  
"Honestly, Jack, just think about it. What's the worst that could happen?" 


	10. 10

Author's Note: Oh yeah, you know if someone says 'what's the worst that can happen' in one of my stories, something's going to happen!  
  
~*~  
  
A commotion at the door caused Daniel to look up from the conversation he was having with Shawn and Darrin. They'd been talking about Daniel's theories, although Daniel had been doing far less talking than Darrin, who had some of his own ideas about the past of mankind, which included alien abductions, evolution mixed with a little help from other aliens, and an entire lost planet called Atlantis, instead of a continent. Which was where he thought all people must have originally come from. Daniel had listened politely, but he wasn't ready to sign off on Darrin's theories just yet. Shawn had been equally quiet, but Darrin assumed it was just because the conversation was too advanced for the boy – which wasn't the case. Shawn saw Daniel look up and he looked up as well.  
  
"Jack!"  
  
It was immediately apparent that all was not well. Jack was leaning heavily on Brittany, and while he wasn't actually screaming with pain, it was easy to he was in some pain. Everyone in the room came over, and Teal'c took Jack from Brittany, the much stronger Jaffa able to support O'Neill much easier. He practically carried him over to the nearest sofa. Where Jack collapsed gratefully, wincing.  
  
"What happened, Jack?" Daniel asked, looking for blood automatically. He didn't see any, though, and couldn't see any bruising, either.  
  
"He got tangled in the towrope," Brittany answered for Jack, waving Andrew over to her and sending him off to get an ice pack. "He didn't let go right, and got all tangled up and twisted his knee, I think."  
  
"Yeah," Jack agreed, wincing as Scott came over and knelt in front of him. Daniel winced as well; aware of just how bad Jack's knees were anyways.  
  
"Do you think you broke it, Jack?" Scott asked, running his hand along the injured leg, although it was difficult to feel anything through the ski pants Jack was wearing.  
  
"Nah, it's not broken."  
  
"Bet it hurts, though,"  
  
"Oh, yeah."  
  
Andrew returned with a couple of ice packs and Shelby, who walked over and sat on the sofa next to Jack, watching as David and Daniel got the ski pants off Jack, being as gentle as possible.  
  
"We won't strip him," Shelby said, taking one of the ice packs from Andrew and motioning for Shawn – who was hovering close at hand – to pull up a padded foot stool. The older woman spoke with a competence that reminded Jack of Janet Fraiser, so he relaxed a little and allowed them to do what they would to him. Like he had a lot of choice.  
  
"Put his leg up on that, and we'll ice the knee from both sides at once," Shelby said, watching as Scott did as she told him to. Jack couldn't quite hold back the grunt of pain when he did that, though, and Shelby patted his hand, reassuringly.  
  
"Don't worry, Jack. This isn't the first skiing injury I've seen. And no where near the worst." She smiled, "You remember that thing they used to show on the Wide World of Sports? I've seen some like that."  
  
Jack smiled despite the pain in his knee, looking over at Daniel with an 'I told you so' look. Shelby surrounded O'Neill's knee with the ice packs, and then shooed everyone away, telling them that he was fine and didn't need a bunch of people gawking at him and breakfast was almost ready so why didn't everyone go get cleaned up and ready to eat? Obviously the family was used to obeying her, because all the adults, and Anna immediately left him alone, although Andrew hesitated just a little and looked like he wanted to stay and keep Jack company. Along with the other boys, who were also gathered around.  
  
"I'm fine, guys," Jack assured them, waving them off. "Go do what you're told and get ready for breakfast."  
  
Daniel and Teal'c both left the room, certain that Jack really was fine. He'd taken far worse injuries than a simple twisted knee, after all, and as far as Daniel was concerned, if he wasn't bleeding he wasn't really hurt. When they left, they took the boys with them, including Shawn, who flashed Jack a worried look, but did as he was told. He wasn't as worried as he might have been, knowing that if it were serious, Daniel and Teal'c wouldn't be leaving. Of course, that didn't mean he didn't want to stay.  
  
"Do you want to try and get to the table, Jack?" Shelby asked. "Or would you rather we just make up a tray and bring it to you here?"  
  
"I don't want to be a bother-"  
  
"You're not being a bother," the older woman said, patting his hand again, and giving him a smile that was so cheerful that Jack couldn't help but feel better just because of it. "Like I said, we've seen our share of injuries. We know how to deal with them."  
  
"I'll take the tray, then," he told her. He didn't want to put any weight on his leg at that moment anyways. Not even for breakfast, which smelled delicious.  
  
"I'll make it up myself."  
  
"I don't-"  
  
"You're not a bother," she assured him, again. "It's been a while since I've had a chance to coddle anyone. My own boys are too good at skiing for their own good! Just relax, and I'll be back."  
  
Jack did what he was told, pretty certain that she wasn't going to give him any other choice anyways. He leaned back into the sofa and tried to relax, although it was difficult when his leg was throbbing. He decided that it could have been a lot worse, though. His knees hurt all the time, anyways. Better than a broken bone, or hitting his head.  
  
If this was the worst that happened, he'd feel lucky. 


	11. 11

Author's Note: This story seems to be taking a bit longer to develop that my other ones did. I wonder if it's because of all the different people I've brought in, or if it's because Sam's not there, or if it's something else... Oh well! It's not like I have a set limit of chapters I can use, so we'll get there when we get there, eh? (It might also just be that every time I go to put one up, something's wrong with the site.)  
  
~*~  
  
Breakfast was as good as it smelled. Jack didn't know who did the actual cooking around the lodge, but they were great. Shelby didn't bring him his breakfast, Daniel did. Accompanied by Shawn and Shelby. The three of them brought enough food for him, and for them, saying they didn't want him to get lonely. It was a nice touch, and Jack was glad. He could hear the others in the dining room laughing and chatting, mostly about the puppies, but also about the events of the day coming up, and Jack knew that without the company of the three, he would have felt lonely and left out.  
  
As he made his way through a huge breakfast of sausages, pancakes, eggs and coffee, Shelby told him and Daniel and Shawn about their plans for the day.  
  
"Tomorrow's actually Andrew's birthday," she told them – although they all knew that already. "Today will be skiing this morning after breakfast – except for you, Jack." She patted his uninjured leg so cheerfully that Jack had to smile. "We're going to do sledding and tubing this afternoon after lunch, and after dinner we'll have Andrew's birthday cake and the whole presents thing."  
  
"Sounds great," Jack told her. Shawn nodded his agreement. Daniel was beginning to look a little dubious any time anyone mentioned skiing. While Jack wasn't dying or anything, Daniel had a very good imagination, and he knew he wasn't any better at skiing than Jack was.  
  
"It'll be fun," Shelby said. "We seldom get so many of the family together like this. And the boys!" She smiled at Shawn, who was just as charmed by the older woman as Jack was. "It's so much fun having the youngsters around, yelling and chattering."  
  
Jack was about to agree with that when Carol and Brittany came into the room, both of them smiling identical smiles.  
  
"How are you feeling, Jack?" Brittany asked, as she and her sister started gathering up the breakfast dishes off the trays. Shawn jumped to his feet and gathered dishes as well, wanting to help.  
  
"I'm fine, Brittany. Thanks."  
  
"Daniel, Shawn? Are you two done eating? Ready to try your hand at skiing?"  
  
They both nodded, although Shawn looked far more excited than Daniel did.  
  
"What's Jack going to do while we're skiing?" Shawn asked, worried about leaving him alone.  
  
"Lucille and I'll keep him company," Shelby assured him. "You all run along, now, and tell the others that breakfast dishes can wait. It's beautiful outside. There's no sense staying in and working when you can do it later."  
  
Jack knew there was a reason he liked this old woman. A fellow procrastinator! They watched as the twins took Shawn and Daniel with them, then Shelby turned to Jack.  
  
"Let's see about your knee, eh, Jack?"  
  
They took off the ice packs, which were more or less just cold water, now, and Shelby ran her fingers along either side of the injured knee.  
  
"Hurt?"  
  
"Not too much," Jack said, surprised.  
  
"Try bending it."  
  
THAT hurt. Jack grunted as he did as he was told, but he did manage to move it more than he thought he'd be able to.  
  
"We don't want to let it stay straight too long," she told him, sympathetically. "If we do, it's going to stiffen up on you, and then you'll be stuck on this sofa for the rest of the weekend. Then you'll miss all the fun."  
  
Jack nodded.  
  
"I have faith in you, Ma'am." He did, too. She seemed to know what she was doing.  
  
"Good. Cause I know what I'm talking about." She stood up. "Keep moving it, if you can. I'll be back in a bit."  
  
She picked up the ice packs, and left the room, and Jack did as he was told, bending his leg just a little at a time. It hurt, but he could feel the tendons and ligaments loosening a little. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.  
  
~*~  
  
The others checked in on him before they left, but Jack shooed them all away. He was fine, he told them, grinning at the boys who were all bundled up in snow clothes. Andrew looked about three times bigger than his normal scrawny self, and Jack wondered how he was even able to walk.  
  
"Have fun, guys," Jack said.  
  
"We will, Jack!"  
  
"No falling down."  
  
"It's a common past time when you're skiing. If you're not falling, you're not skiing."  
  
Jack looked over at Shawn as the boy left the room, following the others, habitually concerned that he wasn't going out with him. Not that he thought Shawn was in any true danger, but he was his responsibility. The boy was just as bundled up as Andrew was, and Jack was certain that even if he did fall down he was so well padded that he wouldn't feel anything, but it was second nature for Jack to worry. He was almost tempted to try and go outside anyways, just to keep an eye on things for himself.  
  
"I'll watch him, Jack," Daniel said. He was better than anyone at reading O'Neill. At least, of the people that were at the lodge, he was, and he hadn't missed the worried look in Jack's expression when he looked at the boy. He'd hung back, intending to see if there was anything Jack wanted from his room to keep himself occupied, but he thought he'd do what he could to reassure his friend, first. Jack nodded, and forced a slight smile.  
  
"Who's going to watch you, though?"  
  
"Anna." Teal'c said, catching the private conversation. The Jaffa wasn't in any hurry to leave the room, either. He didn't mind trying new things, but skiing wasn't way up on his list.  
  
The three men looked, and sure enough, the teenaged girl was hovering at the door, obviously waiting for Daniel.  
  
Jack grinned. "Just don't bring him back in a cast, okay?"  
  
"Gotcha."  
  
"He will be fine, O'Neill."  
  
The two turned and left, and Jack sighed. Alone at last. He looked around for something to do that didn't involve bending his leg, but the room was pretty much empty. Jack sighed again, and returned to his bending. It was going to be along morning if Shelby forgot about him. 


	12. 12

Shelby didn't forget him. Neither did Lucille. Only a few moments after the two older women had seen the others out the door, they returned to the main living room, Lucille carrying Micah, who was still clutching Jack's dog tags in his little fist.  
  
"So, Jack," Lucille said, smiling as she sat down next to him. "What do you do in the Military?"  
  
Such began the morning. Shelby and Lucille were charming, and they were very good at making conversation. So good, in fact, that Jack found himself telling them far more about himself than he normally told anyone he'd just met. Far more than most of the people at the SGC knew about him. He didn't tell them what he did exactly, of course, but he did tell them a lot about his daily routine, and all the paperwork he always seemed to be behind on, and about Hammond. Basically, if it was safe to let them know, they knew it.  
  
Then they started asking him about Sam. And where Jack would have normally clammed up tighter than a shell under ordinary circumstances, he found himself telling them all about her. What she was like, what he loved most about her, all her personality quirks. Everything. He couldn't believe he was telling them, even as he pulled out the one thing that even Sam didn't know he had. A picture of her.  
  
He'd carefully cut the picture out of a brochure of a lecture she'd given at the Air Force academy the year before, and had stored it in his wallet. Since no one ever went through his wallet, it was an ideal place to keep it. It was a military picture, and it wasn't the best one he'd ever seen, but it was wallet sized, and it was all he needed. And the two women passed it between them like it was the treasure it was.  
  
"She's very pretty, Jack," Shelby had said.  
  
Jack had smiled and agreed, and the women went on with their questioning. The Goa'uld had nothing in interrogation tactics when compared to these two. When one ran out of questions, the other simply took over. None of the questions were invasive enough that he felt uncomfortable with them, and the information they extracted from him was almost entirely from his own desire to elaborate on the answers he'd already given. He didn't even realize what he was doing.  
  
They occasionally would pause in their questioning. Sometimes it was to remind Jack to bend his leg, once it was to get fresh ice packs, once or twice for them to get tea for them and more coffee for Jack. Every time they picked right back up where they left off, and Jack found that he enjoyed the morning far more than he could have hoped for.  
  
~*~  
  
It was close to lunchtime when he heard the commotion in the far hall. Actually Lucille heard it first, and when she looked up, Jack and Shelby looked up as well. Just in time to see Shawn and Andrew running into the room, trailed by the rest of the boys, all of whom were soaking wet, and still wearing their snow clothes.  
  
"Daniel's been hurt!" Andrew called as soon as he saw them all together.  
  
Shelby was on her feet immediately, handing Micah over to Jack, who took that as a message to stay where he was and not get in the way.  
  
"Is it bad?" Jack asked, worried.  
  
"He hit a tree."  
  
"Hard."  
  
"He cracked his helmet!"  
  
At least he'd been wearing one, Jack thought. Smart!  
  
"He's bleed-"  
  
They were interrupted by the arrival of everyone else. Teal'c and David were supporting Daniel between the two of them, and they more or less carried him over to the sofa Jack was on, and settled him next to O'Neill, who took a careful look, even as Shelby was obviously doing the same thing.  
  
"What happened?" Lucille asked.  
  
"He was doing great, Grandma," Carol said, taking off her snowcap. "He's a natural."  
  
"Only he got off course, and didn't stop..."  
  
"I panicked and forgot how," Daniel said, holding his head, which was bleeding freely. Since David was carefully pulling off his snow pants, Jack assumed there was something else wrong with Daniel as well. Which was confirmed a moment later as his friend yelped with pain when Shelby ran her hand along his knee.  
  
"Broken?" Asked Jenny, taking Micah from Jack. The toddler wasn't happy with all that was going on around him, but wasn't sure whether to cry or scream, so he was just starting to look fussy. A look his mother knew well.  
  
"I'm not sure." Shelby answered. "Darrin, get me the scissors." She looked at Daniel. "We're going to cut your jeans off at mid thigh, so I can take a look, all right?"  
  
"Fine..." Daniel didn't look like he cared what they did. Jack could relate to that.  
  
She realized that everyone was hovering, and shooed them away. "You're all dripping on the floor. Go get the boys out of them wet clothes, and start a fire in the fireplace. Daniel's done skiing, I think."  
  
She took the scissors Darrin brought her, and cut away Daniel's pant leg, revealing a bump on the side of his knee that was swelling drastically and already bruising a brilliant purple.  
  
"Ouch." Jack was impressed. You don't see bruises like that every day.  
  
Shelby obviously agreed.  
  
"David, you'd better get your car and take him into town and get it checked. It's pretty bad, even if it's not broken."  
  
"I shall accompany you," Teal'c said.  
  
David nodded. "I'll go pull the car around."  
  
"So, you're a natural, huh?" Jack asked Daniel, unable to help himself.  
  
"At least I got past the towrope." Daniel said, defensively. He didn't grin, but Jack knew that if he wasn't in so much pain, he'd be enjoying the banter.  
  
"Yes, and look where that got you."  
  
Shelby laughed, and told Jack to hush. He obeyed instantly, but even Teal'c knew that it wasn't the end of the conversation. Just the end for now.  
  
David returned only a moment later, and he and Teal'c pulled Daniel up to his feet, although Teal'c took all the weight from his side, so Daniel's foot didn't even touch the floor.  
  
"We'll be back soon," David said as they turned and slowly walked out of the room.  
  
"Save me a spot on the couch," Daniel called over his shoulder, trying to make light of the circumstances, even though it was obvious he was in more and more pain as the minutes passed.  
  
"Bring me back a surprise," Jack told him. 


	13. 13

Samantha Carter looked at the map for the hundredth time, and once more wondered if she was headed in the right direction. She wasn't normally one to get lost. That was usually Jack's department. But it was hard to see any of the normal road signs, since the heavy snowfall the night before had blanketed the area and the wind had caused many drifts to bury the signs – completely in some cases. She swore again when she realized she had to have passed the road without noticing. There really weren't a lot of places to turn around up here, but it looked like she was going to have to find one.  
  
Carter looked at her watch. It was about lunchtime, and she'd been on the go since before breakfast. When Jacob hadn't shown at the agreed on time the day before, she'd waited around, just in case something was wrong. Nothing had been wrong, though. Not with Jacob, anyways. There were a couple Tok'ra missing, however, and he needed to stick around to see if they were missing because they were late getting back from their latest mission, or if they were missing because they failed their latest mission. If the latter was the case, then they'd be launching a rescue and Jacob needed to be there.  
  
He'd sent her a message, but by then it was far too late to try and catch up with Jack and the others that night. For one thing, she didn't know where she was going, and for another it was snowing hard, and getting dark. Sam wasn't dumb enough to drive in the mountain passes in the dark when she didn't know exactly where she was supposed to be. She'd called Shawn's house, to see if Dotty and James had one of the maps that had been faxed out. They did, of course, and had been happy to fax her a copy.  
  
So here she was. Driving around the mountains, chains on her tires for added safety on the slick roads, looking for a lodge she'd never been to in a mountain of new fallen snow. Add in that the sun was shining so brightly on the pristine snow that even with her sunglasses she was getting a headache, and it was no surprise that she was more than a little annoyed. And didn't have anyone to be annoyed with, since it wasn't anyone's fault, really. And that was even more annoying. She studied the map again – even though she already had it memorized – and then drove on, looking for a place to turn around. She was certain she'd passed the road.  
  
~*~  
  
Jack ate lunch in the same place he'd eaten breakfast. On the sofa. His knee felt a lot better than he could have imagined it would have. It was swollen, and it hurt, but with the careful exercises that morning - and the ice packs - he was able to bend it a little, and was pretty certain he'd be able to put weight on it in the event of an emergency. Of course, according to Shelby and Lucille, getting to the dinner table to eat lunch wasn't an emergency. So Jack was brought a tray, like he'd had his breakfast.  
  
He had different company this time, too. Shawn was eating at the table with the other boys, who were discussing everything from comics to sledding after lunch, to Daniel's wipe out, which sounded spectacular from what Jack had heard described. Darrin was sitting with Jack, eating his lunch and chatting animatedly about his theories of mankind's evolution. Apparently, everyone in his own family had already heard them, so he was always looking for new people to bounce his ideas off, and since Jack was a close friend to Daniel – who was renown for having revolutionary ideas of his own – Darrin naturally assumed Jack did as well. Which couldn't have been further from the case.  
  
Jack had never heard of a planet called Atlantis, and had never heard the Asgard, Tok'ra or any of the other allies even mention such a place. He was willing to go out on a limb and assume that unless Atlantis was a top secret Goa'uld stronghold, the planet didn't exist. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell Darrin that. He couldn't even tell Darrin that he'd seen other planets, and none of them looked anything like his description of what he thought this planet that mankind had originally come from looked like. Of course, even if Jack COULD have told him all that, he still wouldn't have been able to. Darrin wasn't giving him much chance to say anything.  
  
Jack couldn't figure out how the guy was eating anything, since his mouth was almost constantly moving, but his sandwiches and chili were vanishing faster than O'Neill's, so he was doing it somehow. And all the while discussing fossil remains that absolutely HAD to prove his own theories. Jack was developing a headache that had nothing to do with his hurt leg.  
  
~*~  
  
David and Teal'c brought Daniel back to the lodge just as lunch was finishing up. The two supported him between them and half-carried him over to the sofa Jack was on. Darrin took his tray and moved it out of the way, and they deposited Daniel next to O'Neill, who looked him over carefully. After all, despite all the teasing, Jack was more concerned about Daniel than anyone there, with the possible exception of Teal'c.  
  
There was a bandage on his forehead about the size of Jack's hand that covered the cut that had been bleeding so freely, and Daniel's leg was swathed in bandages and wrapped up tightly from mid thigh to below his knee.  
  
"No cast?"  
  
"It isn't broken." Daniel told him. Teal'c handed the archeologist a pair of crutches and Daniel stashed them on the floor along the front of the sofa. David brought over another padded footstool, and helped Daniel get comfortable.  
  
"It's not?"  
  
"Don't sound so disappointed, Jack."  
  
"I'm not." Was he? Well... maybe a little. More of that misery loves company thing, probably.  
  
"He was fortunate to have escaped serious injury," Teal'c said as the rest of the family left the dinner table in the other room, and came in to see how Daniel was.  
  
"Daniel!"  
  
"Does it hurt?"  
  
"Looks like it."  
  
"Can I sign it?"  
  
"It isn't a cast, Simon, sorry."  
  
"It's not broken?"  
  
Daniel sighed.  
  
The boys gathered around the two on the sofa, some leaning over the back, some sitting next to them, the rest just standing with the adults as they gathered as well.  
  
"We're going to go sledding now that lunch is over, Jack. Do you want to come?" Andrew asked.  
  
Jack looked over at Shelby. It was an automatic reaction to the question. He knew instinctively that she was the one who would say whether he COULD go or not. Kind of like Janet Fraiser debating whether he was fit for duty.  
  
She saw the look and shrugged, which meant he might or might not be well enough, but he wasn't so injured that she would keep him on his butt the rest of the day.  
  
"It won't be dangerous, Jack," Carol assured him. "Just inner tubes and sleds. You let the towrope pull you up – on the sled or tube – then just let go of the rope and slide down the hill. Unless you're trying to do the bumps, you probably won't even tip over."  
  
Probably.  
  
"Come on, Jack," Andrew pleaded, "It'll be great. I'll take care of you, I promise!"  
  
He looked at the boys, who were all looking equally hopeful, and at Shawn, who he'd never say no to when it came to something like this, and shrugged. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad?  
  
"You guys should probably give Jack a bit more time on the couch," Darrin said, coming over and dragging one of the recliners. "He's hurt, remember?" It was obvious how Darrin planned to spend his afternoon. He had a captive audience in Daniel now, since Daniel wasn't going anywhere, and that meant more discussion of theories and assumptions. Jack didn't need any more urging. If he could have leapt to his feet he would have. As it was, he nodded.  
  
"I'd love to guys. Someone help me up." 


	14. 14

It took a bit to get Jack ready to go play in the snow with the boys. First, Shelby insisted that they gave his injured knee all the support they could, so she wrapped it tightly, first with an couple elastic bandages, then securing it with a ton of athletic tape to give it even more support. By the time she was finished, he could bend it just a little, but there was no way it would give out on him.  
  
Then it was a little tricky getting him dressed in his snow pants again. He required a bit of help, since he couldn't bend his knee to put them on. It wasn't a problem, really, just a hassle. Shelby had David help him, and with a bit of support from Teal'c, who was already dressed in his own snow clothes, they managed to get him bundled up in a waterproof jacket, a hat and boots.  
  
"You guys take care of him," Daniel said from the sofa when Jack slowly made his way to the door, leaning on Teal'c, although Shawn had offered a bony shoulder as well.  
  
"We will, Daniel," Shawn said, grinning.  
  
"Yeah, it's just sledding. You go up the hill, and then slide back down. What can go wrong with that?"  
  
"I wish they'd stop saying that," Daniel told Darrin as the boys all hustled out the door after O'Neill and Teal'c.  
  
Darrin laughed, and started asking Daniel questions about the last article he'd had published. One that Darrin practically had memorized. With the distraction of the conversation, Daniel soon lost his concern over Jack, and started telling Darrin what he'd been thinking of when he'd written the article, although he didn't tell him just how right he'd been.  
  
~*~  
  
It was mid afternoon by the time Sam had managed to find a place to turn around. There weren't a lot of places even during the summer season, but it was worse when there was a lot of snow tossed by plows covering the few spots that were reserved for just that purpose. Sam had ended up going all the way back to the nearest town and turning around there – after filling her car with gas so she didn't have to worry about running out. When she'd paid the bored gas station clerk, he'd made a little small talk – obviously pleased to have someone to chat with – and had warned her that the Colorado Avalanche Control Center had put out a warning to motorists to watch out for loose snow avalanches caused by the heavy snowfall the night before and the melting that the beautiful weather that day was causing.  
  
"They're not as dangerous as the slab ones," The clerk had told her, as he gave her her change, "But they can bury you and your car if you don't get out of the way in time."  
  
"I'll keep an eye out," She told him, smiling. "Thanks."  
  
She left the store, wondering if they'd had any problems at the lodge, and got back into her car and went back the way she'd come. This time, she continually checked the map, and managed to find what she thought had to be the right road. There was a sign that was being dug out by a CDOT (Colorado Department of Transportation) crew, and Sam thought she saw a bright piece of paper that might have said 'Stephens' on it along with other writing that was impossible to see.  
  
She turned off onto the road, and was waved to a halt by one of the men. Sam stopped and rolled down her window as he came up to the driver's side.  
  
"You shouldn't go any further up this road, Miss," He said, when he saw that he had her complete attention. "There's already been a couple minor slides, and we're clearing things to get some avalanche control measures going. It's dangerous up here right now."  
  
"I have some friends staying at a lodge up the road a ways," Sam told him. "The Stephen's lodge?" She showed him her map.  
  
"We're clearing people out, Miss," he told her, smiling reassuringly. "I don't know if they've made it that far yet, because of the snow slides blocking the road, but they're definitely on the way to them."  
  
Sam looked around, feeling the beginnings of concern. Jack, Daniel and Teal'c were all up there. And she was down here. What if they hadn't been alerted yet? She knew if anyone could get into trouble, it was Jack. Even with Daniel and Teal'c with him to keep him from making a faulty move.  
  
"Damn. What do I do?" She asked the man. "I need to make sure they're okay."  
  
"Not much you can do," he told her. "We lost the phone lines to the last slide – but that won't warn anyone since the phones are always going out up here. If your friends have a cell phone, you can use mine to try and call them – although the cell phones don't always work very well in the mountains on the best of days."  
  
"I have a phone, thank you," Sam said, smiling. The man's idea was a good one. She pulled her car a little to the side to get it out of the way, and pulled her phone from her purse. Daniel and Jack both had cell phones. She dialed Jack's first.  
  
~*~  
  
In the Stephens lodge about 40 miles from Carter's location, a cell phone rang. It was a muffled noise, since it was in a travel bag in a bedroom at the top of the stairs. In the corner of the bedroom, a black lab raised her head, her maternal instinct automatically trying to figure out what the noise was, and where it was coming from, and deciding whether it was a threat to her newborn pups. It rang a few times, and she gave a low woof, as if to warn it away from her squealing puppies, but after a few more rings, it stopped. Shadow wuffled her puppies again, making sure the noise hadn't harmed them, then lowered her head once more with a contented sigh.  
  
A couple minutes later, out in the parking area of the lodge another phone rang. This one was in the cab of a black truck, sitting on the seat where it had fallen when the owner had left the cab of the truck the evening before. No one heard this phone, either, and after about a dozen rings, it went silent as well. 


	15. 15

Sledding was far more entertaining for Jack than skiing had been. Aside from the whole not getting hurt thing, sledding didn't take any effort on his part. Thanks to the boys, who were keeping their word to Daniel to watch over him. They'd all carried big inner tubes outside with them, and Teal'c had supported Jack through the snow until they'd reached the towrope. Then Shawn had dropped his inner tube right at the rope, and told Jack to get on it. O'Neill had looked at it dubiously, but had done as the boy told him, carefully lowering himself onto the tube, his legs mostly supported by one side of the tube, and the middle of his back resting on the other side.  
  
"You in?" Shawn had asked him.  
  
Jack nodded, and the boy flopped down on him, avoiding the injured knee, but sprawling in Jack's lap. Then the two of them had reached up and grabbed the rope, and allowed it to tow them about halfway up the length of the run. Shawn had rolled off Jack's lap and pushed them a little to the side to avoid hitting the others that were being pulled up, and then had jumped back on when gravity had taken its control and the tube had started sliding down the hill again.  
  
The trip down was fast, and fun, and Jack was surprised to see that it was also as safe as everyone had kept saying it was. They didn't tip over. They didn't crash into anything. They didn't even come close. Jack couldn't help but smile himself when the tube came to a stop at the base of the ski area. Shawn whooped, and jumped off the inner tube, then helped Jack off as well. The two of them walked slowly over to the towrope again – limited by Jack's serious immobility, and repeated the process.  
  
The other adults were joining in the fun as well. All of them either had their own tube or were sharing with one of the boys, making sure that they were having the time of their lives as well. The weekend was really about them, after all. The mountain slope rang with laughter and shouts as the afternoon progressed without incident or injury, even though a couple of the tubes did eventually tip over, more because the occupant wanted it to, though. There was some enjoyment to be had from hurtling down a snowy hill like a big snowball, after all.  
  
All thru out the afternoon, the adults or kids would take a break and go back inside to warm up, or to get something warm to drink. Jack didn't go, because he didn't feel like making the long trek back into the lodge – not even for a cup of coffee. Shawn was chilly, but he didn't want to leave Jack alone. Andrew and Teal'c had been sharing a very large inner tube all afternoon, and had been in and out of the lodge all day, stopping every so often for a drink. After all, Andrew was a small boy, and Teal'c was careful to make sure that he didn't get chilled. It was easy enough to do. He just told the boy he wanted to stop, and headed for the lodge, and Andrew invariably followed.  
  
The four of them met at the bottom of the run and looked around to see that they were the only four out on the slope just then. Simon and David had been teamed up with Scott and Tyler, and those four were on their way inside for a quick break. Carol and Brittany were sitting on the porch of the lodge, getting snowboards on William and Tyler, and the others were nowhere to been seen. Presumably they were inside, as well. (Anna had went in long ago, and was most likely annoying Daniel.) Which was fine with Jack.  
  
O'Neill looked over at Shawn and noticed for the first time that he was shivering. Jack smiled, thinking the kid was as loyal as they came, but that he was going to catch pneumonia if he stayed out much longer.  
  
"Shawn? Why don't you run in and get something warm to drink?" He asked, pointing to the retreating backs of David and the other three.  
  
"I'm okay, Jack." Shawn had said.  
  
"You're shivering. Go inside, okay?" He knew that wasn't going to be enough to get Shawn to go warm up, so he played a trump card. "Maybe you could see if Shelby would give you a thermos of coffee for me? That way I don't have to try and walk all the way back there?"  
  
"I'm sure grandma would, Jack," Andrew agreed. He and Teal'c had just been inside, so they knew there was hot coffee. And hot chocolate.  
  
"Sure, Jack. If you're cold, I'll bring you something warm to drink."  
  
Shawn was well aware that he'd promised Daniel he'd take care of Jack, after all. And getting him something warm to drink seemed to be a definite part of keeping him warm.  
  
"I'll be right back."  
  
"Thanks, Shawn."  
  
Jack watched as the boy walked off towards the lodge, purposely walking through the snow that no one had walked through yet, simply so he could be the first to make tracks in it. Of course, since the new snow went up past his knees, it made trekking a little hard, but that was all part of the fun when you were ten.  
  
"We're going to go up on another run, Jack," Andrew said from behind him. "Want to join us?"  
  
Jack turned and looked at the tube. It was plenty big enough to hold all three, and Shawn wouldn't be back in the amount of time it took to make a run. Probably. It was either that or just stand around. Or sit around in the tube. Jack shrugged, grinning at Teal'c.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
He limped over and waited for Teal'c to get the tube in the proper position.  
  
~*~  
  
Carter was getting more and more worried as time went by. True, she'd only been at the entrance to the road for a half an hour or so, but it seemed like much longer. She continued trying Jack's number, and Daniel's, but neither was answering.  
  
The CDOT had brought in a snowplow to start clearing the road going toward the lodge and the few houses that were also up along the same road. So far, though, as far as Sam knew, no one had talked to anyone in the lodge.  
  
'Don't worry, Miss," the DOT guy she'd first talked to said as the crew began putting up a road detour sign in the area. "We haven't had any serious slides all year. I'm sure your friends are fine."  
  
Sam was getting tired of being called 'Miss' but she also knew the man wasn't being rude about it, and she understood he was trying to make her feel better, so she bit back the comment she was going to make, and dialed Daniel's number again. With the same results as before. 


	16. 16

Far above the mountain, a chain of seemingly harmless events was coming to a head. The pine trees at the very edge of the tree line – some of which had been standing for well over two hundred years – were creaking under the weight of the heavy snowfall. This was nothing new, for it happened every year, but eventually it would take its toll. This, too, happened every year. The thick snow pack was reflecting the brilliant afternoon sun, causing the snow on the branches to begin melting. Nothing that seemed too extreme. Certainly it wasn't melting enough to cause flooding. However, it was enough to make the snow on the already burdened branches even heavier, and finally the weight became too much. A huge branch snapped off with a noise that sounded like a cannon. The noise itself wasn't enough to trigger the avalanche, but the weight of the branch hitting the very edge of the already unstable snow pack was.  
  
It started small. So small that if there had been a couple more of the mighty pine trees on the slope they might have been enough to stop it before it even began. There weren't, however, and the shifting snow pack began to pick up speed, gathering more snow and debris as gravity took control. A thunderous noise was all the warning that was given as the snow tumbled down the mountain, completely out of control, and oblivious to everything that was swept up in its path.  
  
~*~  
  
Jack didn't hear it coming. He was covered with a laughing child, and his ears were partially muffled by the warm woolen stocking hat he was wearing. He felt a slight change in the air pressure around him, and then felt a rumbling – even through the rubber inner tube – and looked up the slope curiously, wondering what was going on. All he saw was a thick wall of white hurtling towards him, Andrew and Teal'c at an impossible speed. He had just enough time to grab tightly to Andrew just as he felt Teal'c's own powerful arms coming around him, then the three of them were swept up in the tumultuous wave of snow and branches. From then, it was simply a matter of holding on, for there was no controlling where they went, or where they were going to stop.  
  
~*~  
  
The rattling of windows was the first warning the people in the lodge were given that something was wrong. The majority of them were sitting in the main living room, chatting comfortably as they warmed up before heading back outside for another round of sledding. Most were drinking something warm, although Daniel – who had been inside all afternoon and didn't need warming up – had switched over to a beer. He was talking to Lucille, who'd taken Darrin's place on the couch a few hours earlier, and was telling her all about himself – without even realizing he was doing it.  
  
They all heard the noise at about the same time, and everyone looked around curiously.  
  
"Earthquake?"  
  
"In the mountains?"  
  
There wasn't time for much more than just that. The next thing they all knew the lodge shuddered, rocked on its very foundations as if something powerful had just crashed into the side of the building. The lights flickered, and then went out completely, but the room was still well lit by the roaring fireplace and the late afternoon sun that was coming in through the windows, so not everyone noticed that they'd just lost power. Everyone jumped to their feet – except Daniel – and there was an exodus to the side exit as they all rushed to see what had happened, all of them talking at once, and yelling to be heard over the others.  
  
"Everyone back!"  
  
Shelby's voice broke through the rest of the noise, and the older woman came out of the kitchen with Shawn in tow. She'd been filling a thermos with coffee, and was still holding the lid, even though she'd dropped the pot in surprise when she'd felt the impact with the lodge.  
  
They all stopped, almost at the exact instant. With all of them looking at her as though they expected her to know what had happened. She had a faint inkling of what it might have been and took a mental headcount even as she scurried to the door. Most of them were there. She opened up the door, and they crowded around behind her, all of them looking out, many expecting to see some kind of plane crash or something. Anything that would explain the noise and the shuddering of the ground. What they saw was nothing. Beyond the trees that lined the walkway to the ski slope, all they saw was snow. Which didn't sink in until they realized that the snow was several feet deeper now than it had been only minutes before.  
  
"Oh my God."  
  
~*~  
  
The builders of the Stephens Lodge knew the mountains. They knew the possibilities and the risks that were inherent whenever you tried to live someplace that wasn't as friendly to mankind's presence. They built the lodge with those very real dangers in mind. The lodge itself was structurally reinforced with steel beams, doubly so on the walls that faced the mountain slope. These walls also had no windows, which was why none of the people in it had seen anything coming. Windows were pretty, and decorative, and in the event of a snow slide of any magnitude, windows were deadly when they broke and threw glass everywhere. Besides, windows were a flaw in structural soundness.  
  
They had also built the lodge slightly higher than the area around it, raising the reinforced foundation slightly. Then they'd planted trees on the mountain slope right above the lodge, and had carefully nurtured them until they formed a thick shelter against all but the most severe of slides. The parking area was in the very front of the lodge, where cars and trucks and other vehicles wouldn't be picked up and tossed against the building like nothing more than ammunition against the structural safety. And a natural looking – but completely man-made gully had been formed above the trees in hopes that the snow would follow the curves of the furrow and miss the building completely.  
  
All of these measures had taken affect in the moments during the avalanche, and had combined to keep the building standing firm, even when the mountain had fallen down around it. The ski slope was wiped out, and the towrope was either buried or carried away, but the building and the people that had been in it were still there. And were safe.  
  
"What is it?" Daniel asked, reaching for his crutches and struggling to his feet. He made his way over to the doorway, and shocked children and adults alike made room so he could get past them. He made his way to the entrance and looked out, and felt his jaw drop as his mind took in what his eyes were seeing.  
  
"Oh, God. Who was out there?" He looked around, counting heads and comparing faces, and knew instantly who wasn't there. Shawn had already known, since he was the last one in.  
  
"Jack, Andrew and Teal'c." 


	17. 17

The room was in an instant uproar. Everyone was talking at once, except for Miyra – who'd turned deathly pale and was leaning against her husband for support, and Daniel, who was too stunned to do anything but stand at the doorway and stare. David helped Miyra to the sofa and sat her down as the rest of the adults followed, all of them yelling things that they should be doing. Daniel and the remaining boys stood numbly at the door.  
  
"Quiet!" Shelby yelled, once more silencing everyone with her whip like voice. Everyone turned to the old woman, and hushed, and she started snapping out orders. "Darrin, get out the snowshoes and poles. Scott, go help him. Carol, bring me the satellite phone, and then I want you, Brittany and Anna to start gathering up blankets and bring them down here." She turned her head towards the staircase. "Shadow! Here girl!"  
  
There was only a moment's wait before the black lab came bounding down the staircase, her belly still wet from puppy slobber. She rushed over to Shelby, wagging her tail nervously as she sensed all the tension in the room.  
  
"What's she going to do?" Shawn asked. The appearance of the dog bringing him out of his shock for a moment.  
  
"Hopefully she can help us find Andrew," Shelby answered. "And hopefully, wherever Andrew is, we'll find Jack and Murray."  
  
"Can she do that?"  
  
"She's a hunting dog, Shawn. A champion hunter at that. One of the best noses in the world. If anyone can find them, Shadow can."  
  
Shelby didn't mention to the boy that she'd only be able to find them if they were close by. She didn't like to think about what might be if the avalanche had carried the three too far away.  
  
Carol brought the old woman a phone, and then took off up the stairs with her sister and cousin, heading for the closets that the spare bedding was kept. A command from Shelby kept Shadow from following, but Lucille sent Jenny and the boys up the stairs to start bringing the puppies downstairs. If they didn't have any power for any length of time, the lodge was going to get cold, and they'd be forced to rely on just the fireplaces and blankets to keep warm.  
  
'We need to get help, though," Shelby said, trying to sound calm and reassuring in hopes that it would keep the others from panicking. She carried the phone over to the fireplace, where there was a list of phone numbers and dialed one. As Daniel and the others watched – all those who hadn't been sent off to take care of errands – she gave her name, and told the person on the other end of the call what had happened, where they were, and how many were missing.  
  
By the time she hung up, Darrin and Scott had returned with snow shoes and several long, thin poles, and Jenny had come down with the comforter, followed by the boys, who each had two puppies in their hands and were cradling them carefully. Under Shadow's watchful eye, they settled the puppies in front of the fire on their blanket, and stood watching, waiting to see what to do next.  
  
"You boys stay here with Daniel," Shelby said, putting on her jacket and boots. "Daniel, you keep them away from the windows, just in case there's another slide."  
  
He nodded, feeling useless.  
  
Lucille handed Micah over to Shawn, who looked like he needed something to keep him occupied. The boy was as pale as Miyra.  
  
"You watch him for me, okay?" She asked. Shawn nodded, his brown eyes serious and scared. He took the toddler, and held him closely as he watched all the adults getting ready to go back outside and look for the lost three. Andrew's mother and father were the first out the door – not counting Shadow, who bounded out quickly, and were followed closely by the others. Shawn sat down next to Daniel, and the other boys all crowded around as well, needing to be close, and needing to be comforted.  
  
"Are they going to be all right, Daniel?" Tyler asked.  
  
Daniel nodded, swallowing hard around a lump in his throat. He couldn't fall apart, and he knew it. No matter how concerned he was.  
  
'I'm sure they'll be fine, guys."  
  
~*~  
  
Carter was standing next to the DOT guys when she heard the news. They had taken a break and the guy who kept calling her 'Miss' – his name was, ironically enough, Sam – had offered her a cup of coffee form his thermos. She'd accepted gratefully and was listening in on the radio chatter with them when a call came through from the Avalanche control center. They'd just had an emergency call from an old woman who was in a lodge and she was calling to report a serious snow slide, and three people missing. The DOT guys relayed the message on to the Highway patrol, who relayed it to the remaining agencies that needed to know, including Search and Rescue.  
  
"Is it the Stephen's lodge?" Sam asked, certain that it had to be. She'd had a bad feeling ever since she'd heard the road was closed.  
  
"Didn't give us a name, Miss," Sam told her, patting her hand. "I'm sure your friends are fine. Even if it is them, we already got Search hand Rescue on the way. They'll be bringing dogs and all sorts of equipment."  
  
"No snowmobiles, though," another DOT worker said. "The area's really unstable, so they won't be using anything with a motor." He quailed under the glare his boss gave him, and bit his lip. "I'm sure they'll be fine."  
  
Sam wasn't so sure, and she could tell by the serious looks the others were sharing that they weren't all that sure, either. She looked up at the sky, wondering how long it would be until dark. 


	18. 18

Something was pressing against Jack's head and chest, and it hurt to breathe. He tried to move, and realized that he couldn't. Either from pain, or from whatever was holding him down being too heavy, he didn't know. He opened his eyes, but all he saw was white. All around him, white. He lay still, trying to figure out what had just happened, but all he could remember was something coming at him. Something heavy? Something big, that was for sure.  
  
He felt something move next to him, and that hurt, too. Jack groaned and tried to move away from the pain. And only managed to hurt himself further. He grunted again, turning his head painfully, trying to see what was pressing down on him that was causing so much pain. It was dark against the white of everything else, and his mind formed the word before he fully realized what it was.  
  
"Inner tube..."  
  
"Hold still, O'Neill."  
  
The voice was deep, and familiar, and Jack stayed still as it told him to. He couldn't have moved anyways. Not just then. Again something moved beside him, but this time Jack didn't try to escape the pain. He was vaguely aware that he was clutching something in one arm. Something soft and yielding but it wasn't moving. His mind screamed at him that this was bad, but Jack couldn't figure out why.  
  
He heard a hissing sound, and the pressure against his head and chest eased, but the pain didn't. Suddenly he could move a little, and breathing wasn't quite so hard. The person who'd spoken before spoke again, and Jack realized it was Teal'c.  
  
"We are buried, O'Neill," Teal'c told him. "The inner tube appears to have kept us from being crushed, and I've let the air out of it to give us more room, but we must get to the surface of the snow before we suffocate."  
  
"Yeah." Jack looked up. It had to be up, because the rubber that had been the inner tube was lying on his chest, and raised his free hand to touch the snow above him. "How deep?"  
  
"I am uncertain." Teal'c moved again, and Jack heard the unmistakable grunt of pain coming from his friend.  
  
'You okay?"  
  
"I am injured as well." It didn't matter, though, and Jack knew it. His mind told him to get off his back and start digging out, otherwise all the injuries in the world weren't going to matter in a little bit. Especially with three of them breathing what little air they had.  
  
Three of them.  
  
"Andrew!"  
  
"He is unconscious, I believe," Teal'c said, leaning over Jack to look at the boy O'Neill was clutching so firmly in one arm.  
  
"We've got to get out of here." Jack tried to struggle to his knees in what little space there was, and watched detachedly as blood slowly dribbled to the white surface of the snow beneath him. He almost blacked out as pain washed over him at the motion, but he stubbornly fought it, although his hand caught Teal'c for support. And he heard another grunt of pain.  
  
'Sorry."  
  
The two of them were on their knees, now, in a tiny space made even tinier by the vanishing air. They were lucky to have that much, though. Lucky that the inner tube had stayed with them, and landed on top of them. Jack reached up and pushed against the hard snow above them, but it didn't move. His knee hurt so bad that he felt like it was going to fall off, but he tried to ignore it. He had to ignore it, for now.  
  
"We'll have to dig."  
  
They didn't waste any more time. They didn't have any time to waste. They started pulling the snow down by the handful, both of them hoping they didn't bring their little cave down on all three of them. They packed it as well as they could, trying to save a much room as possible, and the snow went from white to even lighter and lighter the more they dug. Which Jack devoutly hoped meant they were close to the surface.  
  
Teal'c's hand broke through only a moment later, and Jack felt a rush of fresh, cold air. Immediately, he turned his attention to Andrew, leaving Teal'c to open the hole a little more, and try and see where they were.  
  
"Oh, God..."  
  
The boy was unconscious, as Teal'c had surmised, and Jack was glad that he was. A thorough, but gentle check, told Jack that both of Andrew's legs had been broken, and Jack thought that he probably dislocated his shoulder. O'Neill ran his hands gently along the boy's skull, feeling for bumps that could mean a concussion – or worse – but he didn't feel anything.  
  
"See anything, Teal'c?" Jack asked.  
  
The Jaffa was standing up in their little snow cave, although he was favoring one leg. His head was the only part of him that wasn't in the hole, and Teal'c was looking around him, trying to see the lodge or anything else that looked familiar. Seeing nothing, he knelt back down and shook his head, turning his attention to Andrew as well, and running a gentle hand along the pale cheek.  
  
"We must have been carried down the mountain quite a ways, O'Neill. I do not recognize anything."  
  
"We've got to take care of Andrew's legs before he wakes up." Jack said. He winced and closed his eyes against a wave of dizziness, trying to think past the pain.  
  
"They are badly broken," Teal'c said, sliding his hands along the boy's legs.  
  
'I know. We're not going to set them, just immobilize them."  
  
"How do you propose we do that?" Teal'c asked, sitting down next to O'Neill, who had stretched his legs out in front of himself to try and ease the aching. The Jaffa had a nasty cut on his cheek – most likely caused by impact with some debris or a rock - and it was bleeding freely.  
  
"I'm thinking."  
  
"Perhaps the inner tube?"  
  
Jack shook his head and then wished he hadn't. "If we had a knife to cut it into strips, maybe. As it is, it's too bulky to be..." He trailed off, looking at his own leg. "We'll use the elastic bandages on my knee. Can you help me get these pants off?" 


	19. 19

Author's Note: Just in answer to a review: The three of them are still in the snow... they just have air, now.  
  
Edited Author's Note: Oops! This chapter had to be redone, since for SOME reason it cut off the last sentences. Sorry about that! (I like to leave you guys hanging, but that's ridiculous.)  
  
~*~  
  
The Search and Rescue teams made good time getting to the turn off of the road. Carter had been pacing, shivering in the cold mountain air as she waited for some word telling her where the avalanche had occurred and if the people missing were members of the party that she'd been planning on joining. When the SUVs pulled off the road, and the search teams got out to talk to the Highway Patrol officers and Department of Forestry officials, Sam walked over to hear what they were saying. One of the men tried to block her, but she held up her Military ID, and told him that she wanted to hear what was going on as well. In the off chance that they might need a National Guard support team, or even better, that Sam might be able to get them a couple of search choppers – if they could get the snow pack stabilized – the officers let her listen in on the conversation.  
  
The leader of the S&R team pulled out a map and draped it across the hood of his truck so everyone could see it, then the teams gathered around to listen to what they were dealing with.  
  
"Approximately 4:30 this afternoon we had a hard pack avalanche hit this area right here. Almost immediately the CACC got a call from an old woman that runs a lodge up there. Seems they were having a party or something when the avalanche hit. Luckily, most of them were inside, and the lodge stayed up. Unfortunately, it appears that three people – two adults, one boy – were outside, and are now missing."  
  
"Oh, God." Sam felt her stomach drop. The others looked at her, concerned, but Sam waved them off, biting her lower lip to keep from saying anything else.  
  
"They were going to start a search of their own, but those folks aren't prepared for this kind of thing, and we are. You all know that if the kid and the two adults were completely buried they don't have a lot of time. Hopefully, we'll be able to find them. Even better, they weren't buried, and were just carried off."  
  
His tone made it clear that he didn't expect that to be the case.  
  
"We'll drive up to this point," Again he pointed on the map. "And then we'll proceed on foot from there. The snow is still pretty unstable, but the CDOT is working on that, and they're bringing in snow removal equipment. There are a number of people trapped in the lodge, as well, but they have blankets and fireplaces, so they're not our primary concern. The missing are."  
  
There were nods all around. These men and women knew what they were doing, Sam saw.  
  
"What can we expect from the military, Major?"  
  
"What do you need?" Sam asked.  
  
"Lights, mostly, and people to hold them. We don't have a lot of manpower, so if you can get us that, it'd be a big help. Until the snow is stable, we're going to be searching on foot, and it's going to be rough getting there. We probably won't make it before dark, and it's going to be dark in less than two hours."  
  
"I'll get you whatever you need," Sam promised him, reaching for her cell phone. She'd call Hammond, and he could call out the Guard, or someone. The Military had their own S&R people, after all, and Sam wasn't going to be shy about asking for them.  
  
~*~  
  
They searched for hours but with no luck. Shadow went back and forth on the hard-packed surface of the snow, but every now and then she'd fall through the snow and one of them – sometimes more – would have to haul her out before they could continue searching. The humans were wearing snowshoes, so they didn't have the trouble that the black lab did, but they weren't having any luck with the poles, either.  
  
Lucille and Shelby took Shadow in, and had the boys warm her up and dry her off. It gave them something to do, after all, and they were all scared. Of course, the two older women were scared, too, but they knew that someone had to keep things together, and they accepted that as their responsibility.  
  
"Any luck?" Daniel asked, sitting up straighter. Waiting was harder than searching, as far as Daniel was concerned. He'd been trying to reassure the boys that Jack, Andrew and Teal'c would be okay, but he was having trouble believing it himself, and knew he didn't sound all that reassuring. Watching Shawn was even worse, since Daniel was poignantly aware just how much the little boy loved Jack, and blamed himself for not being out there where he could have helped.  
  
Shawn had found Jack's dog tags on the coffee table where Jenny had left them once she'd wrestled them from Micah, and the boy wouldn't put them down. He just stared at them, occasionally brushing away a tear when he allowed himself to think of the worst that could happen. These were the times that Daniel would pull Shawn close and hold him. Most of the time the other boys would come over and want to be held as well, and Daniel did everything they needed him to, and told them everything would be fine. Even if he wasn't so sure. Daniel couldn't even imagine what David and Miyra were going through.  
  
"No, not yet," Shelby said as she watched William and Simon dry Shadow off with a fluffy towel. "We'll find them, though. And the Search and Rescue people must be on the way by now."  
  
"That's right," Lucille said, coming into the room with an old-fashioned coffee pot, and a large metal tea kettle, both of which she set on the hearth of the fireplace to heat the water. "They'll have all sorts of equipment and more people than we have. Don't worry, boys, we'll find them."  
  
She sounded so sure of herself that even Daniel felt a little ray of hope. Maybe Jack, Teal'c and Andrew really were okay. After all, Jack had been through far more than this and had managed to survive. Teal'c was tough, and had Junior, and Andrew was with the two people that Daniel was sure could get him through this alive if anyone could. He sighed, and wished there was some way they could get a hold of the Asgard or something. Their allies were never there when they needed them the most, it seemed.  
  
"Hear that?" Daniel asked Shawn, resting his chin on the top of the boy's head, his brown hair tickling Daniel's neck. "We'll find them. Jack and Teal'c are tough, and Andrew's scrappy, remember?"  
  
Shawn nodded, and Daniel devoutly hoped he was right. 


	20. 20

Teal'c did most of the work when it came to unwrapping O'Neill's leg and transferring the bandages to Andrew's. Jack was fighting hard to remain conscious when the one thing he wanted to do most was simply drift off and forget about how badly he hurt. He had other responsibilities, though, and that part of him that held responsibility over all else was driving him to stay awake and make sure Andrew was taken care of first. So Jack fought, and so far was winning.  
  
Teal'c wrapped Andrew's legs tightly with the bandages. Luckily there were a lot of them, since Shelby had been adamant that Jack's leg be immobilized fairly well. Since both legs were broken, and they didn't have anything to use for a solid bracing, Jack told him to wrap both together, and hopefully they could brace each other. It was all they had. Just for good measure, when Teal'c had the boy's legs wrapped up, Jack had him put his snow pants on Andrew, sliding both legs into one of the legs of Jack's pants. Andrew was small, and the pants were made of a stretchy material, so it worked. It was tight, but as far as the two men were concerned, tighter was better. When Andrew woke up, they didn't want him thrashing and hurting himself.  
  
"It is getting dark, O'Neill," Teal'c said once they'd finished, and Jack had collapsed next to the unconscious boy, panting because he couldn't take any deep breaths without hurting himself.  
  
"Yeah." Jack looked up at the hole Teal'c had made in the snow. He'd pretty much come to the conclusion that they were going to have to stay where they were. The little cave wasn't all that warm, but it was better than being out in the wind, and the snow would insulate them, and protect them. Of course, that was assuming there wasn't another slide. If that happened, they'd most likely get buried again, probably deeper, and this time there'd be no inner tube to save their asses.  
  
While he and Teal'c had taken care of Andrew, they'd discussed that, and had weighed the risks. But it was simple. Out in the open, exposed to the cold, Andrew and Jack would most likely not make it through the night. Teal'c was already feeling his pains beginning to fade as his symbiot started healing his injuries. In the cave, they ran the risk of being buried, but it wasn't as big a risk. They'd stay put, at least until morning. Barring anyone coming to rescue them, of course.  
  
~*~  
  
The area was flooded with people and vehicles. Less than an hour after Carter had called Hammond, the Military Command Post tent was set up right next to the Search and Rescue command tent, and they'd placed themselves under the command of the leader of the Search teams. The man knew the area far better than the Military teams did, so it was pretty much a no-brainer that they'd just be the support role in this situation. Hammond himself showed up less than half an hour after that, accompanied by a team of medics led by Janet Fraiser.  
  
Hammond walked into the Military Command Post tent, and saw Carter sitting there, talking to the leader of the civilian S&R teams. She'd been given a heavy jacket, since hers wasn't as warm, and was drinking a cup of steaming coffee.  
  
"Any word, Major?" Hammond asked as he waved Carter back into her seat.  
  
"The Search and Rescue teams haven't found anyone yet, but they're almost to the lodge, Sir. They've had to go on foot most of the way, because they don't want to risk bringing down any more of the mountain. When they get to the lodge, we'll know a little more."  
  
"Have you tried calling O'Neill or Dr. Jackson on their cell phones?"  
  
"Repeatedly, but they're not answering." She gave him a helpless shrug. "But I was trying before the avalanche, too, so they might just have them turned off."  
  
Carter gestured to the man she'd been speaking with. "Sir, this is Jeff Kindell. He's the head of the Search and Rescue. Jeff, this is General Hammond, my CO."  
  
"It's a pleasure, Sir."  
  
"Likewise, Mr. Kindell."  
  
"Chad, please."  
  
"Do you have enough lights? Enough help? Anything else I can get you?"  
  
"We have as many as it's safe to have right now, General." Kindell assured him, gratefully. "Your men don't know the area, and we've teamed them up with folks that do. That way we're not going to end up sending out search teams to find the search teams later on when it gets full dark. It's really easy to get turned around up here at night."  
  
"So what do we do now?"  
  
"We wait until the forward teams reach the lodge. Then we'll know exactly what we're dealing with."  
  
~*~  
  
The adults were still out on the deep snow pack when the first of the Search and Rescue teams arrived. They heard the dogs first, and turned to see a small pack of German Shepherds and Labrador Retrievers come out of the woods on the other side of the ski slope. Attached to the long leads of these dogs were a group of men and women dressed in bright orange jackets and hats, and dragging toboggans behind them.  
  
They saw the adults, and waved, and made their way over to them, practically dragged by the dogs, who were just as eager to search here as they were to search in the trees.  
  
"God, are we glad to see you!" Darrin called when they drew close enough to hear.  
  
"We're just as happy to see you," a woman replied, taking off her hat so she could remove her goggles. The sun was going down fast, now, and they didn't need the protection from the glare anymore. "Let's go inside for a moment and you can tell us exactly what happened, and who we're looking for."  
  
"We can't go inside!" Miyra said, still frantically using the long pole she was carrying on the snow in hopes of finding Andrew. "We have to find my baby!"  
  
David was no less frantic to find Andrew than she was, but he wrapped his arms around his wife, and pulled her to the side, despite her struggles.  
  
"They have to know what's happened, or they're not going to be able to help. You know that. Besides, they have more dogs. We'll get them something of Andrew's and hope they have more luck than Shadow did."  
  
He was talking fast, and trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince her, but it worked, and she eventually nodded and reluctantly went inside with the rest of them.  
  
The Search and Rescue team walked in with their dogs, and everyone who was inside looked up, hopefully.  
  
"Did you find them?" Shawn asked.  
  
"Where are they?"  
  
"These are people from the Search and Rescue teams, guys," Scott told the boys, who had gathered around. "They just got here, but now that they're here we expect we'll have a lot better luck finding Andrew, Jack and Murray."  
  
There was a low growl from near the fireplace as Shadow caught scent of the other dogs and warned the strangers to stay away. Curiously, the leader of the group looked over the tangle of boys and adults and saw the black lab with the mass of little tan bodies arranged around her on the comforter.  
  
"Take the dogs into another room, guys, before we have trouble," she told the dog handlers. They all looked over as well, and nodded agreement. Nothing more dangerous than a mother protecting her babies.  
  
"We have to find them!" Miyra said, stepping forward as the dogs were taken to warm up in front of the fireplace in the other living area.  
  
"We will, Ma'am. Can you tell us exactly what happened?"  
  
The searchers listened intently as Shelby told them what had happened, and gave them descriptions of Jack, Andrew and Teal'c.  
  
"What about him?" The search leader asked, pointing at Daniel, who was still seated on the couch.  
  
"What about me?"  
  
"Were you hurt in the avalanche?"  
  
"No. I was hurt skiing."  
  
"He hit a tree!"  
  
"Face first!"  
  
"His leg was really swollen."  
  
The search leader looked at all the boys arranged around her, each clamoring to be heard over the others.  
  
"Maybe we should evacuate these boys? Their parents are probably worried."  
  
Actually, their parents didn't have a clue what was going on, but the boys were a distraction she didn't need just then, and she could justify it by saying that there was always a danger that another avalanche could hit the lodge. Better to get them to safety. Obviously, Shelby had come to the same conclusion.  
  
"That's a good idea. Do you have a way of getting them to safety?"  
  
"We have sleds. A couple of my people can take them back before it gets too dark out. We have more people on the way here, so we won't miss the manpower. And they'll be safer."  
  
"Kids, go get bundled up," Shelby told them. She was willing to trust this woman if she said the boys would be safe with her people. It was better than keeping them here, with no heat and the added worry of the search going on around them.  
  
The boys all did as she told them, and turned to go get their snow clothes once more. All but Shawn, who was still sitting next to Daniel.  
  
"You, too, Shawn." Daniel told him, gently.  
  
Shawn's fist closed tightly around Jack's dog tags, and the little boy shook his head.  
  
"I want to stay here, Daniel."  
  
"You should go where it's safer."  
  
The little chin came up, and Daniel wondered if Shawn had any idea how much he was like Jack already. That pose was so much like Jack's when he was about to get chewed out, or was about to defy orders, that it made Daniel's throat close up.  
  
"I won't be in the way, Daniel. I won't say a word. I promise. I have to be here, though. I have to."  
  
He looked at the leader of the search teams, his little face set in determination, and his body tense. She looked at Daniel, and then at the boy again, and obviously decided that if Daniel wasn't going to have any luck moving him, then she wasn't going to. She shrugged.  
  
"He can stay." 


	21. 21

The news hit Sam like a ton of bricks when it came in to the Command center. She'd had a gut feeling that one of the missing would be Jack – when had he ever managed to stay out of trouble when it was looking for someone? But Andrew and Teal'c were both missing, too, and that just made it that much worse. She closed her eyes when the Search team that had made it to the lodge called in the names, and had felt Hammond and Janet both reach out and support her when she swayed slightly.  
  
"I'm okay," she'd whispered, opening her eyes and forcing herself to stand up straight. She ignored the concerned look Chad shot her direction, and asked him if he had any information about the others.  
  
"They're all safe in the lodge, although Brenda's sending out the boys with some of her people, in case there's another fall. They should be here in half an hour or so, since they're coming straight and not doing any searching."  
  
"We'll see that they get home safely," Hammond assured him, waving over one of his men and telling him to have a van available in an hour. That would give Fraiser a chance to have her medics check the boys out before they were taken home.  
  
Sam walked over and sat down in a corner, out of the way but close enough that she could still hear everything that was going on. Fraiser came over and stood next to her, kneeling down beside her.  
  
"Don't give up on them."  
  
"I've been doing some research, Janet." Sam said, gesturing to her laptop. "The critical time for people buried in an avalanche is half an hour. Jack and the others have been missing for at least two."  
  
"They might not be buried."  
  
Sam gave her a look that said she clearly thought they were.  
  
"Don't do this, Sam. It's too early to give up hope."  
  
~*~  
  
There was nothing worse than being cold. Jack had decided that a long time ago, and he still believed it. Days like this were simply a reminder of why. He and Teal'c had taken either side of Andrew and were cuddled up as close to him as they dared, trying to keep him warm, but Jack didn't know how much good it was doing. Andrew hadn't woken up yet, and while Jack was glad the boy wasn't feeling any pain, he was also concerned. He wasn't a doctor, but he was worried that prolonged unconsciousness was a sure sign of a worse injury. O'Neill had asked Teal'c to check Andrew's head once more for an injury, thinking maybe he'd missed something, but the Jaffa hadn't found anything, either.  
  
The boy was breathing – shallow, but steady breaths – and his heart was beating. Since those were the most important things, they continued to check them as the darkness grew deeper and deeper, until the only thing visible in the cave were the glow in the dark hands on Jack's wristwatch.  
  
"Are you awake, O'Neill?"  
  
Teal'c was genuinely concerned about Jack. The Jaffa could hear O'Neill's breathing, and it was ragged and short and accentuated by an occasional gasp of pain. He was certain that O'Neill was badly injured, and in the dark all Teal'c could do was try and keep the Colonel awake and aware.  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"You must remain conscious, O'Neill." Teal'c told him, reaching over Andrew and touching his friend's stomach. He'd been aiming for Jack's shoulder, but in the dark it was impossible to tell where he was touching.  
  
"I know..."  
  
Jack did know.  
  
"If there has been no one to find us by daylight, I will go and bring help."  
  
"You up to that?" It hurt to talk, but it was something to keep his mind off the pain. In the darkness there was very little to keep his mind off just how badly he hurt.  
  
"I am not now, but I will be by morning."  
  
"Junior."  
  
"Indeed."  
  
Jack rolled over onto his side, facing the Jaffa and pressing closer to Andrew, even though he couldn't see either of them. He grunted in pain, and bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, but he ignored all that. There were more important things to worry about. He wanted to rest, but knew if he did, there was a chance he wasn't going to be able to force himself to wake up again. He didn't mind – he was so tired of hurting already that he was envious of Andrew's unconsciousness - but he had to make sure that Teal'c... did something. He just couldn't remember what it was.  
  
"Listen... Just in... in case I don't get through this..."  
  
"You will get through this, O'Neill." Teal'c told him, certainly. "You must."  
  
"Yeah... but if I don't..." Jack hesitated. He wanted to tell Teal'c to take care of Sam. To tell him to make sure that she knew he loved her, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. It was too final. He couldn't bear the thought of not seeing her again.  
  
"Make sure you get Andrew out of here..."  
  
"You will get through this, O'Neill." Teal'c repeated. "You must. Who will keep Shawn Adams from being used by the Asgard if you do not?"  
  
It was a calculated move. Teal'c was well aware how little O'Neill trusted the Asgard's intentions when it came to Shawn, and he knew that Jack thought – and rightfully so – that he was all that was keeping Thor and the others from turning Shawn into some kind of a living science project. How many times had he and O'Neill discussed that very thing?  
  
"Hammond..."  
  
"The Asgard will not listen to General Hammond as they will listen to you."  
  
"Sam..."  
  
"You know better, O'Neill. You control the Asgard more than any of the others. Without you standing between them and the boy, they will be able to do whatever they wish."  
  
Teal'c had a bit more faith in the Asgard than that, but it was all he could think of to keep O'Neill talking about something other than not making it. He was certain from the tone of voice that the Colonel was close to giving in to his injuries, and that just wasn't acceptable. Teal'c would say anything he needed to in order to keep that from happening.  
  
Jack felt like crying. All he wanted to do was sleep, and he couldn't. Responsibility. It was always responsibility. He wasn't trying to save the world this time. Giving in to his pain and drifting off wasn't going to be the end of the world. It wouldn't even affect all that many people. There was nothing to keep him from letting go. Sam would live on, and so would the rest of his friends. They would mourn, and then go on saving the world without him.  
  
Shawn, though. That was another matter entirely, and Jack knew it. Shawn was Jack's responsibility. Teal'c could pull Andrew through this snow thing, and get him home safely even if Jack gave up, but the Jaffa couldn't keep the Asgard from using Shawn. Neither could Sam, or Hammond, or Daniel. Jack didn't know why exactly the Asgard listened to him, but they did – most of the time – and that was all that was keeping them from doing whatever it was they wanted to do with Shawn. He had to stay awake, if for no other reason than the fact that he had to keep Shawn's future open. It sounded so simple, but it was something only he could do.  
  
"O'Neill?"  
  
Teal'c was concerned by the silence, and wondered if he'd failed. He rolled over onto his side as well, his hand going to Jack's shoulder this time.  
  
"Yeah..." There was resignation in his voice, and pain. But Teal'c thought he also heard determination as well. Which was what he'd been hoping to hear. Jack was more stubborn than anyone Teal'c had ever met – human or otherwise – and once he'd set his mind to doing something (in this case simply surviving the night) Teal'c was certain he'd do it. Now it was up to Teal'c to keep him talking and keep him awake. 


	22. 22

They searched all night. Dogs and people were swarming around the snow by the lodge until they were absolutely certain that the three missing people weren't in that area, then they started moving down the slide area, working carefully, and making sure that the dogs had a chance to smell everything. The searchers used the lodge as a command post, and as a place to warm up, although Shadow's presence made it necessary to warm the other dogs up in the other dining room. It didn't matter. There was plenty of firewood, and plenty of lights being toted around by the searchers – military and civilian alike.  
  
Shawn watched everything from his position on the couch next to Daniel. The other boys had long since left, and true to his word Shawn hadn't said a word unless he was spoken to, for fear that Daniel or Shelby would send him away as well. The boy simply huddled against Daniel; one hand wrapped around the archeologist's arm, the other clutching Jack's dog tags. Shelby had covered him and Daniel with a blanket to keep them from getting any chill, but the room was warm enough it wasn't much of a danger.  
  
"We're certain that they're not in this area," one of the search team leaders told the family members as they all looked at a map that was spread on the coffee table in front of the sofa Daniel and Shawn were sitting on. "The slide extended a snow pack far beyond the normal area, though, and we're concentrating our search there, now. Since it's dark, we're stuck at a slower pace than I like, but it's necessary." She tried to give them a reassuring smile, but it came out more as a grimace. "We'll find them, I promise you."  
  
Daniel put his arm around Shawn, and the two resumed their wait, both of them wanting to help, but neither allowed to. Shawn dozed off a time or two as the night progressed, but never for more than a half hour or so, and any time there was a commotion at the door, he was instantly awake and alert, hoping. Always the message was the same. No luck, yet, but we'll find them.  
  
~*~  
  
At the entrance to the road, Carter was feeling equally helpless. She was in the command tent with Hammond and Fraiser, and she sat and watched as Chad Kindell coordinated search teams all through the night, sending out fresh men and women as they arrived, and replacing the ones that needed a chance to warm up.  
  
Kindell couldn't help but wonder about the help he was getting from the Military. It was true they normally sent out help when it was needed for a rescue, but never in such numbers. He was certain that if he told Hammond he needed a dozen helicopters or a hundred more men, he'd have them as soon as Hammond could get on the phone. He wondered who it was that was missing, and why they were so important. But he didn't ask. Carter was looking more and more drawn as the night passed, and he was certain that the men they were looking for were close friends of hers.  
  
He took to patting her shoulder reassuringly every time he walked by the chair she was sitting on. She looked like she could use the support, even with Hammond and the doctor staying near by.  
  
When the boys had been brought in from the lodge, she'd hugged them all, and reassured them, then realized that Shawn wasn't with them and asked about that. They'd told her he'd refused to come, and Sam understood completely, although she was surprised that Daniel had allowed him to stay. She wasn't there, though, so she had to assume there was a reason. The boys had been checked by Fraiser, and then had been loaded in the van for a drive to a nearby hotel where they'd be put up for the night. When morning came they'd all be taken home.  
  
"This is my fault..." Sam told Janet softly, sometime around 4 AM.  
  
"You didn't cause the avalanche, Sam," Fraiser said.  
  
"I made him go. He didn't want to."  
  
"You didn't make him-"  
  
"Yes, I did. He wasn't going to come. He didn't want to be cold, or risk a skiing accident, but I bullied him into going and spending the weekend with the guys. It's all my fault."  
  
Janet hadn't known that, but she rubbed Carter's shoulder, comfortingly.  
  
"He's probably managed to find them a warm place to hole up until morning, Sam. You watch and see, once it gets light out we'll find them all sitting around a warm fire or something, waiting for someone to come find them."  
  
Carter didn't buy that, but neither did Janet, so she wasn't going to take it personally. Sam rested her head in her hands and wished for the millionth time that she was with Jack now that he needed her the most.  
  
~*~  
  
Despite his best efforts, Teal'c couldn't keep O'Neill conscious the entire night. He'd spoken to him at great lengths, reminding him over and over of his duty towards Shawn, and towards the members of the SGC. He'd even went way out on the personal limb and had mentioned the relationship Jack had with Carter, reminding O'Neill just how desperately Sam needed him safe and sound.  
  
When it became apparent that Jack had lost the battle to stay awake, Teal'c had reached his hand out and gently checked his friend in the dark. There was a pulse, and he was breathing. Although both were erratic. The Jaffa then checked Andrew once more, making sure the boy was equally stable – which he was – and then Teal'c closed his eyes. If he was going to go find help for them, he was going to need a little rest. Healing was done by the simbiote, but it was using Teal'c's energies to do it.  
  
He fell into a light sleep, his ears alert for a changing in the breathing patterns of either of the people sleeping next to him, or for sounds of searching coming from around them. If something happened, he'd be awake immediately. 


	23. 23

Author's note: Okay, you guys are really paying attention! More than one of you caught my mistake with Chad/Jeff Kindell.. His name was originally going to be Chad.. I changed it because I thought Chad might be too hard for me to remember so I switched it to Jeff (which is one of my dog's names) then I reverted back to Chad anyways, and can't get my fingers to make him Jeff... so his name is Jeff, but his middle name is Chad, and he likes that better, so that's what he has everyone call him... yeah... I just... umm... didn't want to go into that in the story... because... um... it'd take too long to get into that... yeah, that's it... lol... on with the story!  
  
~*~  
  
An agonized cry of pain brought O'Neill abruptly back into consciousness. Followed immediately by a sharp blow to his already broken ribs that was so sudden he yelped in pain himself. He was still on his side, pressed tightly Andrew to keep him warm, and Andrew had finally woken up and the first thing he'd done when he felt the searing pain was to start thrashing. Luckily he couldn't hurt his legs, since they were so completely immobilized that he couldn't have moved them if he'd wanted to.  
  
Unfortunately, being immobilized didn't mean they didn't hurt, and Andrew had never felt anything like the pains that were shooting up his legs. He cried out again, and Teal'c wrapped strong arms around the boy, both to assure him he wasn't alone, and to keep him from thrashing any further and hurting himself or O'Neill.  
  
Jack rolled away from Andrew, clutching his chest and trying to keep from passing out from the pain of the sudden blow. Teal'c would have to take care of him for the moment; Jack wasn't in any condition to.  
  
"Andrew, I am here." Teal'c ran gentle fingers along the boy's cheek with one hand as he held him firmly with the other. The little boy was completely engulfed in the Jaffa's grip and the thrashing ceased, even though he still struggled and cried out.  
  
"Andrew!" Teal'c said, more firmly, hoping the boy could hear him. He carefully pressed his cheek against Andrew's, avoiding the injured shoulder. "There was an avalanche and we were buried, but we are going to be all right. You must believe."  
  
"Scrappy, Teal'c," Jack gasped; reminding the Jaffa of the term that the boy's father had introduced Andrew as.  
  
"Indeed. If ever there was a time to be scrappy, now it that time," Teal'c told the boy over and over. "We are taking care of you, and will get you back with your parents soon. I promise you."  
  
Andrew didn't hear this the first time Teal'c said it. He didn't even hear it the second time. From the moment he became aware of the pain, he hurt so badly that all he could hear was the throbbing in his legs that seemed to spread all over his body. He'd never hurt like this before, and couldn't even think of a term for the torture he was in. All he could do was react to it, and the only way he knew how to react to pain like this was to scream and cry and thrash.  
  
Teal'c's voice got through the third time, but Andrew didn't hear the words, only the voice. He knew Teal'c's voice very well – after all, Teal'c had spoken to him quietly in the darkness many times in the week that he spent at summer camp. Even though Andrew was in agony, his subconscious remembered that it was Teal'c's deep voice that had soothed the pain and loneliness of homesickness that week, and he reacted accordingly this time as well, automatically straining to hear the voice that soothed hurts.  
  
"We are taking care of you, Andrew," Teal'c repeated, noticing the boy was becoming a little less panicked. "You need to hold on and be scrappy."  
  
"Teal'c?" Andrew's voice was similar to O'Neill's. Both were filled with anguish. But Andrew's was filled with fear as well. He wasn't used to hurting so badly, and it frightened him.  
  
"I am here, Andrew. You must do your best to remain still, so you do not hurt yourself further."  
  
"It hurts!" he wailed, sobbing.  
  
"I know. We have wrapped your legs, but I have nothing to give you for the pain."  
  
"Hang in there, Andrew."  
  
Andrew didn't recognize that voice at first. It was low, but not deep. Almost a whisper that he nearly didn't hear at all. But where Teal'c was, Jack had to be as well, his pain-fogged brain told him.  
  
"Jack?"  
  
"Yeah, buddy..."  
  
"It hurts..."  
  
"I know, Andrew..." Jack sounded like he hurt, too, Andrew decided as he tried to stop his sobs so he could hear what the two men were saying to him. "It's starting to get light out... Teal'c's going to go for help, soon."  
  
"Don't leave me!"  
  
Teal'c held the boy close, as Jack reacted to that fearful cry as well and rolled back over to wrap his arm around the boy, too.  
  
"We are not going to leave you alone, Andrew," Teal'c assured him. "We would never leave you."  
  
"That's right... I'll stay with you..."  
  
Andrew started crying, unable to hold back the pain anymore. The two men held him closely; both talking to him, both telling him that he'd be fine. Andrew was unconscious again in only minutes, his little body finding the easiest way to deal with the pain being to allow it to overwhelm him.  
  
"Can..." Jack took a couple of breaths, trying to get his wind back. "Can you tell how light it is?"  
  
Teal'c looked up at the hole in the top of their cave. It was no longer pitch black out. The sky had the odd tinge to it that it usually had a couple hours before the sun actually made its appearance. False dawn, some called it.  
  
"It is light enough," Teal'c decided. He knew as well as Jack did that they needed to get help, and couldn't wait for help to come to them. He just wasn't sure about leaving O'Neill and Andrew alone.  
  
"You'd better go... then."  
  
"You must remain awake, O'Neill."  
  
"I know, Teal'c." Jack's voice was the smallest of whispers.  
  
"I shall head uphill," Teal'c told him as he got to his feet. The Jaffa took off his heavy coat, and draped it over Andrew and Jack. He was wearing a sweater underneath and would be moving, so he figured they'd need the warmth more than he did. "The snow must have carried us down the slope."  
  
"Sounds... right."  
  
"Stay –"  
  
"Awake... I know."  
  
"Indeed."  
  
"Be safe, Teal'c," Jack told his friend as the Jaffa started digging an exit in the snow.  
  
"I will return as soon as I can."  
  
"I know. We'll be here."  
  
Teal'c carefully made sure that the exit he made himself was only big enough for him to leave. He didn't want to open the entrance too much and risk exposing them to more cold than he needed to. When he broke through to the surface of the snow pack, he was careful to walk far enough away that his weight wouldn't bring the cave down on Jack and Andrew. Then he looked back at the hole in the snow once more.  
  
"Stay awake, O'Neill!" He called to his friend, reminding him once more. Then he turned in the near darkness and looked up the slope, unable to see much more than just a dim outline. It was enough, though, for him to see where he was going. Shivering in the cold, Teal'c headed uphill, moving carefully but as swiftly as he could in the mostly hard-packed snow. 


	24. 24

"Stay awake," Jack whispered, resting his hand against Andrew's chest to feel for movement that would tell him the boy was still breathing. He was.  
  
"Good boy, Andrew," he whispered again, talking more to keep himself awake than because he thought Andrew could hear him. Although he supposed you never knew. Didn't someone some time say that unconscious people could hear when someone was talking to them? Jack pondered that for a moment.  
  
"I've never heard anyone."  
  
But it never hurt to try, he supposed. Besides, he needed to stay awake. What better way to do it than to talk to Shawn? Andrew.  
  
"Andrew." He reminded himself aloud. "Andrew." He thought about the weekend they'd been having, trying to think of something to say that would keep him awake. But Jack was having trouble concentrating on anything. His mind was flittering from one thought to another without any particular direction.  
  
"Stay awake Andrew... You have to open your birthday presents still..." He couldn't even remember what he'd gotten the boy. "I got you a pony... a big white one... named Silver..."  
  
Jack gasped as a spasm of pain forced him to be silent for a moment. But a moment later he continued stubbornly.  
  
"Teal'c got you a stuffed Asgard... we can call it Thor..."  
  
"I think Daniel got you a rock... but I might be... be wrong. It might be a stone..."  
  
Jack continued on in that vein, telling the boy what presents they'd got him, unaware of what he was even saying, but talking because he was too stubborn to allow himself to close his eyes and rest like he wanted to.  
  
~*~  
  
They moved the search further down hill as the night progressed into early morning. Once the sky grew light enough that they could see vague outlines of the trees and mountains around them, the search teams were able to move a little more quickly, and they did. They all knew the odds were getting shorter and shorter as time moved on.  
  
More dogs were brought in, and the men and women who'd been holding lights during the night put them away and were now a more productive part of the search teams. They walked, calling for the three who were missing, and keeping their eyes open for flashes of color that might mean a coat or pair of snow pants.  
  
More than once, one of them would fall through the snow when they came to a weak spot, and it would take a few minutes to dig themselves out, but dig they did, and none of them complained. They'd simply make it back to the top of the snow and continue searching. It was all about searching.  
  
~*~  
  
Shawn was lying on the floor in front of the fireplace, his hand idly stroking Shadow's black fur as the lab nursed her squealing puppies. Jenny had brought the little boy one of the pictures she'd taken of Jack the morning before, and Shawn was staring at it, as if memorizing his friend's face. He'd put Jack's dog tags on, noticing in the picture that Jack hadn't been wearing his tags; he'd only been wearing the necklace that Shawn had given him at camp. Shawn couldn't help the tears that trickled down his cheeks.  
  
"Don't give up," Daniel told him again. And again. And again. But it was harder and harder not to. The adults didn't think Shawn understood half of what they were saying, but he did. He knew the danger that Andrew, Teal'c and Jack were in, and he knew that it was entirely possible that they'd all been killed immediately and were already dead.  
  
Daniel had joined Shawn on the floor in front of the fireplace, stretching his injured leg out painfully as he did so, but he'd started sneezing almost immediately. Shadow was nice, and her puppies were adorable, but he was allergic, and it was hard to comfort someone when your eyes were watering and your throat was swelling closed. Darrin had helped him back to the couch and brought another box of tissues out.  
  
David and Miyra were sitting on one of the other sofas, holding each other and looking into the fire with equally tortured expressions. Daniel understood what they were going through, and he wished that there were something he could do to reassure them. He couldn't think of anything, though. Shelby and Lucille were plying Andrew's parents with coffee laced deliberately with whiskey, and it was all they could do. It was more than anyone else could.  
  
When the sun was fully up, Carol and Brittany brought out trays of muffins and fruit and juice. For the search teams and for those that were waiting for any word. The search teams ate on the run, and none of the family members had any appetite at all. The lodge was almost completely silent, and there was a definite gloom in the air. They were all just waiting for the axe to fall, it seemed.  
  
~*~  
  
"Have some more coffee, Major," Hammond said, bringing Sam another steaming cup. To Carter it sounded more like an order than a request, so she did what she was told, taking the cup from him.  
  
"Thank you, Sir."  
  
'Doctor?"  
  
'Thank you, General."  
  
They were standing, now. The lights had been taken down and packed away for the day, and the search teams continued checking in at regular intervals. Unfortunately, they were all saying the same thing. They hadn't found any sign of those that were lost.  
  
There was a little good news. The risk of another avalanche was growing smaller as the DOT and the forestry service starting setting off smaller – controlled – slides in an effort to stabilize the snow pack. This meant that they'd be able to bring in helicopters to start searching soon, and motorized vehicles to transport the teams and save time getting them to the slide area.  
  
Hammond stood next to Carter, who hadn't said more than three sentences all night. He couldn't think of anything to say to her that he hadn't already said, and he knew Carter was far too smart to believe any lies he might have tried.  
  
"We'll find them, Major," Hammond said.  
  
"I know, Sir."  
  
She knew they'd be found. She just wanted them to be found alive.  
  
~*~  
  
Author's Note: Just in case there's any questions about Jack: he's pretty much out of it, and a delirious Jack is a Jack that mumbles about things that the military would probably rather he didn't mumble about. Since there's no one there to stop him, though... he'll babble on and on... 


	25. 25

The sun came up over the mountains while Teal'c was digging himself out of the snow yet again. The Jaffa's size was causing him a great deal of difficulty in the snow. Sometimes it was strong enough to hold him, but many times he'd find himself waist deep – or more – in the cold white powder, and he'd have to struggle out of it before he could continue up the hill once more. There was a slight wind blowing, but it was going in the same direction that Teal'c was, so he wasn't forced to battle it, and it wasn't hampering him. But it was cold.  
  
Cursing in more than one language, Teal'c dragged himself out of the snow once more and continued on his way up. He wasn't sure how long he'd been heading up the hill, but it seemed like forever. He was sweating with exertion and soaked from continual exposure to melting snow, but he wasn't cold, and he wasn't ready to give up. Far from it. Teal'c had no illusions about O'Neill's abilities to stay awake for too long. He knew the man would try, but there was only so much someone could take before it became too much. Teal'c had to find help before that threshold was reached.  
  
~*~  
  
"Murray!"  
  
Andrew's voice was high-pitched and filled with fear and pain, and Jack winced at having it so close to his aching head, but the sound did manage to bring Jack a little more to his senses than he'd been the last few hours while he'd been murmuring to Andrew about his birthdays past.  
  
"Easy, Andrew..." Jack soothed, as well as he could.  
  
Andrew's eyes opened, and he looked over at the source of the voice, his expression nothing but pain. Pain that was echoed in Jack's.  
  
"Jack... I hurt..."  
  
"I know, buddy..."  
  
"You're all bloody..."  
  
"I know..."  
  
"Is there any water?"  
  
"No... only snow, and I can't let you eat it..."  
  
"I'm thirsty..." he moved slightly, trying to get away from the constant throbbing in his legs and body, but only gasped in pain.  
  
"I know, Andrew..." Jack was, too. But he knew that eating snow was just going to make them colder, and not help their thirst enough to make much difference. He couldn't risk allowing Andrew to do it, any more than he could risk doing it himself. "You'll be fine, son. I promise."  
  
"I want my mom..."  
  
"I know..." He wanted Sam.  
  
"Where's Teal'c, Jack?"  
  
"He went to get help. He'll be... back soon."  
  
"I hurt..."  
  
"I know... just hang in there, buddy." O'Neill searched his mind for something to talk about. Something that would keep the boy's mind on talking, and not on his pain. "What are you going... to name Shadow's puppies?"  
  
Andrew's eyes lit up for a brief moment at the thought of the puppies, and Jack knew he'd chosen well. "I don't know... they have to be registered, too..."  
  
"Registered?"  
  
"Shadow's a Champion hunter..." Like that explained anything to Jack. Andrew sighed, and explained further. "Her puppies are worth a fortune, Jack. Well... to the right people. Hunters and sportsmen, and show people. They can use... them for hunting, or showing... but they have to be registered, with papers proving their bloodlines."  
  
"So the puppies father is a good one, too?" Jack was actually finding the conversation was keeping him caught up, too. Not just Andrew. He found it hard to believe that a puppy that was dumb enough to think his pinky would give it milk was worth so much.  
  
"He's another champion... It's complicated... but they have the best lines you'll ever find. People have been calling for weeks asking about buying the puppies. Dad won't talk to any of them, though, until they're old enough to be separated from Shadow."  
  
Andrew was a fount of information, and Jack was glad that he'd found something the boy was able to discuss – and more importantly – able to discuss without much help from Jack. He only had to ask a question, and that would get the boy talking, keeping his mind off his injuries and fear.  
  
~*~  
  
Teal'c was digging himself out yet again when he heard the barking. At first he thought it was his imagination, but it grew louder. The Jaffa paused in his digging, listening hard. There it was again. Definitely a dog. Maybe. He reached up and pulled himself out of the hole in the snow he'd fallen into, and was suddenly and quite literally dog piled. A pack of the creatures were swarming all over him, their cold noses nuzzling him, whining, barking and digging at him with their claws as though they thought he was still buried and needed help getting out.  
  
"Stop!"  
  
That didn't work, although a couple dogs took off up the slope, barking excitedly at having found something. The rest of them continued to whine and one dark brown one stuck his nose right up against Teal'c's and started licking his face. Only the fact that he was relieved to see the creatures kept him from being annoyed, and Teal'c tried to regain his feet under the mass of dogs.  
  
"Hey! Get off him, ya lugs!" A voice called the dogs off, and there was a general cry of relief as the dogs moved and the searchers that were with them saw that there was, indeed, a living breathing person under the pile. A living breathing person who was struggling to get to his feet.  
  
The searchers – rescuers, now – ran up to him. From the description this one had to be Murray.  
  
"Mr. Murray!? Are you hurt?" One of them dropped down to her knees next to him, smiling brightly, even with the concern in her green eyes as she checked him for injuries.  
  
"I am not, but my friends are. We must get to them before they-"  
  
"Which way?"  
  
Teal'c pointed back the way he'd come, and the path he'd made in the snow was clear.  
  
"Come on, we've got a sled, we'll get you back to the-"  
  
"No! My friends are injured. Did you not hear me?"  
  
"We'll get them, too, Mr. Murray."  
  
"I will accompany you."  
  
"You need to get medical attention..." Already the dogs were running ahead, urged by their handlers to go find the others. One of the searchers was on the radio to the rest of the teams, telling them they'd found one, alive and well – as far as they could tell – and that he had been with the other two. He relayed off as many details as he could as he ran after the dogs, following them along with the others.  
  
"I am fine," Teal'c said, getting to his feet, and shrugging off her assistance. "My friends are badly injured."  
  
He wasn't going to leave Andrew and Jack, now that he'd finally found them help. 


	26. 26

"They found someone!"  
  
Chad's announcement came sometime in the mid morning, and instantly everyone was in the command tent, gathered around the radio.  
  
"Alive?"  
  
"Yup. Murray. He's not hurt at all, they say, and they say he was with the other two, who are. But he knows where they are, and are leading the search teams to them, now."  
  
The message was rushed, but Sam hung on every word.  
  
"How long until they get to them?"  
  
"No clue. They don't know how long he was walking, but the dogs have the trail now. We won't lose it, Major."  
  
"Thank God."  
  
"Amen."  
  
"You said the others were injured?" Fraiser asked, stepping forward. "We need to get a medical team to them."  
  
"We can't do anything until we know where they are, and how badly hurt they are."  
  
Chad looked over to Hammond. "The snow is probably stable enough that we could risk a helicopter. I don't suppose-"  
  
"We'll have one ready and waiting for your word," Hammond promised.  
  
Kindell nodded, and turned back to his radio, but there wasn't much traffic that he needed to follow. Mostly it was word from one team to another that they'd found the missing people, and to head back to the lodge or the base command, whichever they were closest to.  
  
There was relief in the air at the base Command center. None of them knew how badly injured the other adult or the boy were, but they'd been found! And that was something. The fact that they were alive – even if not so sound – was the topping on the proverbial cake.  
  
~*~  
  
"They found Murray!"  
  
One of the Search team members had blurted the news almost before the message ended, and everyone in the lodge looked up, at the word.  
  
"Is he all right?"  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Hush!" Shelby wanted an update, but couldn't hear over the other questions flying around. If everyone would be quiet they'd get their news that much faster. Everyone hushed, including the other search and rescuer people.  
  
"He's leading the others to Andrew and Jack..."  
  
There was a cheer of happiness, but they all hushed again when Shelby raised her hands for silence so she could hear what was next.  
  
"Murray's not hurt, but he's telling the rescuers that Jack and Andrew are, but we don't know what's wrong with them until they get to them. The..." There was silence while they waited for the next message to come over the radio and for the searcher to pass it on. "The military is going to send a helicopter to get them out when we find them."  
  
"Where are they going to take them?" Shawn asked, sitting up. "We have to get there."  
  
"We'll have to wait."  
  
The rescuer nodded, giving Shawn a sympathetic look. "We'll have to take you guys out by snowmobile until they get the road cleared – and I know none of you want to wait that long."  
  
"Of course not."  
  
"We'll have to wait you guys," the search leader said gently. She smiled, though, relieved. A relief they all felt as well. "We've waited all night, we can wait a little longer. At least everyone's been found."  
  
~*~  
  
"So what color... is the father of the puppies?" Jack asked.  
  
"Black, like Shadow..."  
  
"Why are all the puppies brown?"  
  
"They're not. They're yellow... and two are black, like Shadow. The brown ones are called chocolate labs..."  
  
Jack couldn't help the confused look on his face. One that Sam and Daniel knew well, but that Andrew hadn't seen before.  
  
"Shouldn't they all be black?"  
  
"Nah... you never know what color..." he paused, listening. 'Do you hear something, Jack?"  
  
Jack didn't hear anything past the ringing in his head, which was throbbing painfully and had been for the last 12 hours. He shook his head, but listened as carefully as he could. He still didn't hear anything two minutes later when the first of the dogs broke through the roof of their little cave and landed squarely on Jack's legs. He tried to push the dog off, glad to see it but immediately recognizing the danger from above, and was trying to reach out to protect Andrew's legs as much as possible when another dog came crashing through as well, this one landing with a yelp of surprise on Jack's chest.  
  
The Colonel yelped as loudly as the dog did, and clutched his chest, bringing his knees up protectively in case another one was coming after its buddies.  
  
"Dogs!"  
  
The two dogs were the only ones that came through the snow, although there were obviously more whuffling around above them. The two that were there swarmed Andrew, licking his face and whining, and the boy forgot his injuries in his relief at seeing help arriving.  
  
"Jack! They're rescue dogs! Teal'c must have found help!"  
  
O'Neill didn't answer. He couldn't answer. The last blow had been painful enough to take Jack's breath away completely, and he couldn't do anything but gasp and hold his chest, waiting for the pain to fade into something more manageable. As he heard voices yelling for the dogs to get back, Jack lost the battle with the pain. It wasn't fading. If anything, it was getting worse. Whatever the dog had done when it landed on him had been worse that what the mountain had dished up, and Jack felt himself blacking out.  
  
"Jack?"  
  
He heard Andrew calling his name, but he was beyond being called back. Not even the sudden fear in the boy's voice could jar him free of the blackness that was calling him, promising him comfort and rest. He'd done what he could, and that had to be enough... 


	27. 27

There was a flurry of activity on the entire mountain. Fraiser was airlifted with a medical team out to the site where O'Neill and Andrew had been found, but only medical personnel had been allowed on the chopper. There just wasn't room for anyone else. That included Sam, who was desperate to get to Jack's side.  
  
The search teams had found Andrew and Jack, but the word was still out on what, exactly, O'Neill's condition was. Andrew had broken legs and a broken shoulder, among other injuries they still needed to check out, but they'd given him a shot of a potent painkiller and had attached an IV and were stabilizing him. Once the pain was gone, Andrew told Teal'c that Jack had been awake and talking to him right up to when the dogs came. He didn't know what had happened, but one minute Jack had been talking, the next he was still, and not answering.  
  
The searchers had been concerned about O'Neill. Worried enough that they hadn't moved him out of the hole in the snow just yet. They'd moved Andrew as soon as they could without adding to the boy's injuries, and had left the bandages Teal'c and Jack had applied to his legs where they were, since they were well immobilized, and had put him on a back board and strapped him down tight.  
  
Andrew would have been terrified by the treatment, except that Teal'c was with him, and one of the searchers had handed the boy a radio so he could prove to his mother and father that he was alive and well. He hadn't said much more than 'hi' before they'd taken covered him warmly with emergency blankets and extra coats, and had moved him to the side of the slope to make room for the helicopter that was coming.  
  
Jack was another matter entirely. They'd wiped the blood from his face, revealing a couple of cuts that had probably been caused by impact with some kind of debris during the fall. These were serious in that they were surely causing him a lot of pain, but the internal injuries were even more serious, and they were having trouble getting him stabilized with the portable equipment they carried with them. His heartbeat was erratic, his breathing was even worse, and they didn't dare move him until they could get him on a board. Which they couldn't do until they got him more stable.  
  
When the helicopter landed – further down the slope where it couldn't cause any shifting in the snow above their position – Fraiser jumped out before it had completely settled to the ground, and rushed over to the hole. She gestured for the other doctor to go check on Andrew, and to get him on the helicopter and ready to go, then slid down into the hole that the rescuers had made bigger to accommodate the extra people.  
  
"Colonel?"  
  
He was pale and cold, and Janet rested her hand on his neck for a moment to check his pulse. It was there.  
  
"Colonel? I need you to stay with me." She ran her hands down to his chest. The rescuers had cut open his coat and shirt, looking for bleeding to explain his stillness, and she could feel the swelling all along his sides that was a sure sign of broken or cracked ribs. Not just one or two, either.  
  
"We need to get him on a board and get him someplace we can get a better idea of what's wrong," she told the rescuers.  
  
'We can't risk moving-"  
  
"I can." She had to. Besides, she knew what he could take. She'd seen him with worse. Hopefully. "Just be careful. Don't jolt him any more than you have to."  
  
She checked the IV they'd attached, and found it to be satisfactory, then held his head still as the others cleared the hole and rolled him carefully onto a back board. They strapped him down firmly around the legs, but she wouldn't allow anything on his chest. His ribs were too damaged already.  
  
"Teal'c!"  
  
The Jaffa left Andrew's side and came over.  
  
"Help them get the Colonel out of the hole. You take the end of the board." She trusted the strong Jaffa to be the most able to keep from jarring O'Neill. Teal'c did as he was told, and they all eased the board out of the cave. The Jaffa didn't relinquish his hold, then, though. He carried O'Neill all the way to the waiting helicopter, setting the pace carefully and scowling whenever someone slid in the snow and made the board move in any direction but forward.  
  
Janet followed O'Neill into the chopper, and moved so Andrew's board could be loaded next. Teal'c and the other medics joined her, and no one complained when the Jaffa took the spot between O'Neill and Andrew. Fraiser didn't need it; she was on the other side, watching Jack's vitals, and there was another doctor – a pediatrician – on Andrew's side. He wasn't in the way, and even if he was, there were only two other people on the helicopter brave enough to say anything, and one was unconscious, and the other was tending him.  
  
~*~  
  
"They're in the air," Hammond said.  
  
"How are they?"  
  
"Fraiser didn't say." He shrugged. "I'm sure she would have told us if it was serious."  
  
"Or she's so busy trying to keep them alive that she didn't have time..." Sam knew Andrew was going to be all right. She'd heard his voice on the radio when he spoken to his mother. She hadn't heard anything from Jack, though.  
  
"They're going to USAF Academy Hospital, Major, and we'll be going there, too, in just a bit." Hammond turned and took Kindell's hand, shaking it warmly.  
  
"Thank you so much, Chad. Please, pass on our appreciation to the rest of your crews. The military units will help you get everything cleaned up for as long as you need them."  
  
"Thank you, General. We're glad everything worked out."  
  
"So are we."  
  
They heard snowmobiles outside the Command tent, and they all went outside. A couple of the machines were arriving, bringing back the first of the people who'd been in the lodge overnight. The first machine was pulling a rescue sled, with Daniel bundled up warmly on it, and the person sitting behind the driver was Shawn. He jumped off and ran over to Carter as soon as he saw her and Hammond.  
  
"They found them!"  
  
Sam pulled the boy into a hard bear hug, holding him far longer than she'd meant to.  
  
"I know. Are you all right?"  
  
"I was inside. Jack sent me..." Shawn looked up at Sam, realizing that something wasn't right. "Is Jack okay, Sam?"  
  
"We hope so," Sam said, brushing away tears she couldn't stop. Shawn bit his lip, his brown eyes filled with concern.  
  
"He'll be fine," Daniel said, hobbling over with a little help from his crutches and a lot of help from the guy that had been driving the snowmobile.  
  
"What happened to you?" Carter asked, giving Daniel a careful hug. She was so glad he was all right.  
  
"You ever see the Wide World of Sports?"  
  
"You wiped out skiing?" Sam asked.  
  
"I was getting the hang of it."  
  
"Until that tree jumped out at him." Shawn said, reaching up and taking Sam's hand in his.  
  
Sam laughed, despite her concern, which was what Daniel had intended.  
  
"It's good to see you're all right, Doctor Jackson. You too, Shawn." Hammond said as he walked over to stand on the other side of Carter.  
  
"Thank you, General."  
  
"Thanks, General."  
  
They watched as another snowmobile arrived carrying Miyra and David, and gestured for those two to join them as well.  
  
"The helicopter is taking your son and Colonel O'Neill to the hospital at the Air Force Academy. We're going to go see how they're doing. You're welcomed to join us."  
  
"Thank you, we appreciate it."  
  
They all went to a waiting Suburban, and although there was a bit of a struggle to get Daniel into the front seat with his leg sticking out so awkwardly, they were soon on their way. 


	28. 28

There was something to be said for the absence of pain. Not that pain was all that terrible a thing. It had its uses, after all. In small amounts, it could tell you when you've reached the limits of what you should be doing - exercising for example - and it could tell you when you've managed to nick yourself shaving so you'd know you were going to be bleeding in a minute. It was also a good indicator that you were alive. However, Jack was just as happy to use some other indicator in this moment.  
  
He hovered on the edge of waking for a long time. It wasn't completely unlike allowing yourself that long Saturday morning wake up time, although this was more a chance to get a good idea of exactly how ready you were to open your eyes. If, as you felt yourself waking up, you also felt a great deal of pain, there was still a chance that you might be able to drift back off into blissful unawareness and delay facing that pain for as long as possible. If you didn't feel a lot of pain - or even better, no pain at all - then you could decide if you were still sleepy, or tired or exhausted. If you were any of these, and you felt no pain, then there was also a good chance that you'd be able to fall back into that deep sleep that you'd dragged yourself out of.  
  
What Jack felt was no pain. He did, however, feel tired, and numb, and he knew even without opening his eyes that he was in a hospital room, simply from the sounds that were being made all around him. Unwilling to face all of those things, he'd pretty much decided that he was going to try and do the who drift back into sleep and wait for things to get better before really waking up thing.  
  
Then he'd heard her voice. She was close by, and talking to him in soft tones. Jack didn't know exactly what she was saying - in order to understand that, he'd have to allow himself to wake up a bit more - and he wasn't so sure he was ready to do that. Not even for her. She wasn't hurt. He knew that. Knew it without even having to think about it, because if she were hurt he'd have forced himself awake long before. He thought back, trying to remember what had happened, to decide if there was a reason he needed to be awake. Was someone hurt? He was, yes, but he didn't matter. He knew how he felt. More or less. He remembered a puppy sucking on his finger. And ribs. His ribs hurt. No, a rib dinner. Not his. A good rib dinner. But that wasn't important enough to wake up for, either.  
  
She touched his hand, and his wandering thoughts focused once more on her. She was still speaking to him, and he thought he heard a note of concern in her tone of voice, even though he still wasn't focused enough to know everything she was saying. Her touch was stimulating, though. Something he always longed for, and something that was probably worth waking up for. But something in his mind also told him that she would touch him later, when he'd decided to wake up completely. He didn't have to wake up just to get her to touch him.  
  
He heard her mentioned a name. Shawn. His mind sprang into action, even as he lay still. Shawn? Was he hurt? No. He was fine. He'd been with the others. Teal'c had been hurt, but Teal'c had Junior. Jack had half a mind to get himself a symbiote, too. Unfortunately, he didn't like the Goa'uld or the Tok'ra enough to join either of the two, and that was pretty much necessary in order to tote a snake of his own around. He certainly wasn't going to become a Jaffa any time soon. Who else had been hurt? Andrew. Andrew had been hurt. And badly enough that yes, he was worth waking up to check on. Jack felt the darkness drifting away, and forced himself into a more alert state of mind. Now he could understand what she was saying, and he listened for a moment, just to see if she'd answer his questions without him waking up.  
  
She was speaking mumbo jumbo. Jack didn't understand a word of it. Something about some physicist named Shawn something or the other who had developed a theory about the Oort cloud holding the key to-  
  
"Carter."  
  
He couldn't go on listening to that. Not even to sleep a little longer.  
  
Sam put down the book she'd been reading aloud, and looked over at the man sleeping in the bed. His eyes were closed, but there was an intense expression on his face nonetheless. A pained look, although Janet had assured her that Jack wasn't feeling any pain from his injuries.  
  
"Jack?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You're awake?"  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Who is Shawn-"  
  
"Ryerson?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"A physicist who developed a theor-"  
  
"Stop."  
  
Sam smiled, despite her concern. "You asked."  
  
"Because you were talking about him." Jack opened his eyes for the first time and looked at her. She looked tired, and worried, but she was beautiful nonetheless. "Why are you talking about someone like that while you're sitting by my bed?"  
  
"I was reading, Jack. Aloud. Janet said it might do some good, and it wouldn't hurt. She said you could hear-"  
  
"Yeah, I could hear it. And it was driving me crazy."  
  
He looked down at her hand, which was touching his own. His had a bandage on it that was undoubtedly hiding the needle end of an IV, considering the thin tube that was running out from underneath it.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"Just don't..." he paused, thinking of some way he could make sure she knew just how annoying that was. "Just don't do it again. I don't even like having you read those books to me silently, okay?"   
  
"I'll remember that." She leaned over and brushed a feather light kiss against his cheek, and Jack forgave her instantly. "How do you feel?"  
  
"I'm tired. How's Andrew?"  
  
"Broken legs and a separated shoulder. They had him in surgery for a while, but he's going to be fine with a little physical therapy and a lot of casts."  
  
She started to move away, but he held her hand so she couldn't. He was awake now, so he wanted to be with her.  
  
"You know... the next time I tell you I don't want to go somewhere... I-"  
  
Carter started crying, which wasn't the response Jack expected. Not at all. He sat up in his bed, feeling a pressure in his chest that might have been pain if he could feel any pain just then, and he pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her carefully to avoid tangling her up in the IV.  
  
"Sam, I'm sorry. It was a joke, nothing more-"  
  
"I'm sorry, Jack," She collapsed against her shoulder, even though she knew she wasn't supposed to. "I knew you didn't want to go, and I bullied you into it. And look what happened-"  
  
"None of this was your fault." He was completely awake now, and he turned his head, brushing a kiss against her tear stained cheek. "You didn't do anything, love. I was just teasing you. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"  
  
Sam sniffed, a little embarrassed and angry that she'd broken down for such a dumb reason. She'd just been so worried about him, and he'd been so still, and pale, and she'd been afraid that the worst was going to happen. They'd come so very close to losing him, and to something so stupid.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"I know. I am, too. Okay?" He kissed her cheek again, and then gently untangled himself from her. "Let's start that part over, again."  
  
"All right."  
  
He looked down at her hand. "Andrew's really okay?"  
  
"Yes. He's fine, although he'll be in the hospital for a while. Exposure, and hypothermia, and they're giving him antibiotics to counter the pneumonia he managed to catch. Like you did," she added.  
  
"I caught –"  
  
"Yes. It was pretty bad." She sniffed again, "You had us all pretty worried."  
  
"Exactly how long have I been in here?"  
  
"Almost two weeks."  
  
"Two weeks?" He didn't feel like it had been two weeks.  
  
She nodded.  
  
No wonder she'd been so worried, Jack thought. He squeezed her hand gently, slightly ashamed that he hadn't woken up sooner. He didn't like to worry Sam. Of course, it hadn't been his fault, but that didn't matter.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"It's okay. I'm just glad to have you back with me." 


	29. 29

He was in the hospital another week after he finally woke up. It was a lousy week, as far as Jack was concerned. He was awake, and felt fine, he said. He should be allowed to go home and convalesce there. So to prove to him just how unwell he was, Fraiser had taken him off all pain medication, and then he'd been miserable. Ribs hurt when they were broken, especially when he'd been sick and coughing, and that only aggravated the problem. Lesson learned, the doctor put him back on the pain killers, and he was a model patient for all of 12 hours before he decided he didn't need to be on the IV anymore and that the needle was annoying him.  
  
Fraiser had agreed to take it out, but only if he promised to eat regular meals. Jack had jumped at the deal, but Fraiser's ideas of regular meals were a lot different than his. She wanted him to eat a lot of small meals; Jack wanted to eat a couple big meals. She threatened to put the IV back in, and he grumbled and ate everything she put in front of him. But he wasn't happy about it, and he made sure she knew it.  
  
The good thing about him being in the hospital was that everyone knew exactly where to find him, so he had quite a few visitors. The bad thing was that Fraiser didn't allow any of them to stay and keep him company, which prompted him to ask her why they bothered to have visiting hours if he couldn't have visitors. She'd simply told him she didn't want him to get tired.  
  
Sam brought Shawn frequently, and the boy was always just as glad to see Jack as he was to see Shawn. Shawn was also one of the few visitors that Fraiser allowed to stay more than her usual 5-minute rule. Mainly because Shawn was good at getting Jack to do whatever it was the doctor was trying to get him to do at any particular time. Where Jack would argue with pretty much anyone else, he'd just do whatever it was Shawn asked.  
  
Aside from Shawn, though, the only other people who frequently visited were Daniel, Teal'c and Sam. Andrew's folks had stopped by a couple times, as had the rest of the family, any time they were by to see Andrew, and they told him of his progress since Jack wasn't allowed out of bed to see him and more than Andrew was allowed to come visit Jack. The boy was doing well, and would be going home as soon as his parents installed a few ramps in various parts of the house to accommodate his temporary wheel chair.  
  
Finally, he either got well or he wore Fraiser out, because he was sent home. It was another few days of rest – during which all he really did was spend time with Sam watching TV in bed – and then he was finally allowed to go back to work. Light duty, only. Which was fine, since Daniel was still on light duty as well because of his injured knee. The two pretty much hobbled around the halls together, Daniel using crutches still, but Jack doing without simply because he was too stubborn to carry his around all the time.  
  
~*~  
  
"Jack?"  
  
O'Neill looked up from his paperwork to see Daniel standing at the door of his office. Well, leaning against the door of his office, since Daniel was getting a little lazy when it came to resting any weight on his hurt leg if he didn't need to. It had been about a month since the avalanche, and Jack was still on light duty, which was beginning to drive him crazy, although it gave him plenty of time to catch up on the paperwork that normally was the last thing to get done.  
  
"Hey, Daniel. Come in and sit down." Daniel never came to Jack's office.  
  
"You have a visitor. A couple of them, actually."  
  
"Oh?" Jack looked around Daniel, but didn't see anyone.  
  
"They're up at the check in. Civilian visitors."  
  
"Ah." Damn, that meant he had to limp his way up to the surface. He stood up and headed out the door and down the hall, followed by Daniel, who was still limping, although he'd abandoned his crutches as well. They were joined by Sam and Teal'c, and Jack decided it must be someone they all knew if they were all coming as well. It wasn't as though he or Daniel were still falling down, so they didn't need keepers. There weren't a lot of people that came to visit the base that weren't military – and weren't allowed past the first check in – so Jack had a fair idea that it must have been one of the boys.  
  
He was proved right when he saw Andrew's wheelchair in the hallway when he turned the corner, and grinned at the smile on the little boy's face when he saw Jack.  
  
"Hey guys," Andrew said, waving at all of them.  
  
"Andrew! How are you, buddy?"  
  
"Great. I'll get my casts off next month."  
  
"That's good news."  
  
"Yeah, they itch."  
  
"What's up, buddy?" Jack asked, looking around for Miyra and David. "Where are your folks?"  
  
"They're coming. I'm having another birthday party to make up for the ruined one, and I thought I'd just come and invite you all instead of sending invitations."  
  
"We're not skiing, are we?" Daniel asked.  
  
"No, it'll just be at my house," Andrew said, smiling. "I can't really go too many places right now, anyways."  
  
"We'd love to come," Carter told the boy.  
  
"Great. It'll be in two weeks from today. At 5. And mom and dad don't want you to bring anything, but they do have a present for you Murray, and for you Jack."  
  
"Oh?" Jack's birthday wasn't coming up, and he knew Teal'c's wasn't, either.  
  
"Actually, it's a thank you gift. For all that you did for me."  
  
"You don't have to give me a present, Andrew."  
  
"Indeed. We are your friends, Andrew. It is not necessary to reciprocate a good deed with a gift."  
  
"Nah, I wanted to." He waved at the Marine that was standing at the far corner, and the man disappeared for a moment and returned with Andrew's folks. David was carrying a little black puppy, and Miyra was carrying one of the tan ones. Both puppies had grown considerably since they'd been born.  
  
David walked over to Jack and handed him the black one.  
  
"Scott picked him out for you, Jack. He said you and this little guy had a special bond already."  
  
It had to be the puppy that had woken Jack up that morning. Jack grinned foolishly as he took the puppy. It wasn't a present he'd have expected, but it was a lot better than a toaster or a tie.  
  
"Wow, Andrew... what can I say?" He cuddled the puppy against ribs that were still tender, but nowhere near as sore as they had been.  
  
"This one's for you, Teal'c," Andrew said, as his mother handed Teal'c the little yellow lab puppy. Teal'c took it, and she kissed his cheek and gave him a hug.  
  
"Thank you, Murray, for all you did. If you two hadn't kept hold of him that day, I don't know what might have happened, but it would have been much worse, I'm sure."  
  
Now Jack and Teal'c were both blushing, and Miyra laughed.  
  
"I didn't mean to embarrass you, but I do mean what I said."  
  
"You can't have the puppies just yet," Andrew said. "They need another couple weeks with Shadow. But you can get them when you come to my party."  
  
"It'll give you time to come up with names." Sam said, smiling innocently. Jack had a feeling she and Daniel had known what was coming, and he looked at her suspiciously.  
  
"Remember, they have to be good names," Andrew told them. "They'll be registered under them, in case you ever want to show them or something."  
  
"Mine has sprung a leak." Teal'c said, holding his puppy out with both hands. Sure enough, the little puppy had peed all over the front of Teal'c's shirt. And he didn't look at all repentant.  
  
"Here, Sam, you can hold mine," Jack said, handing his little black puppy over to Carter, who scooped him up happily and cuddled him. Sam wasn't afraid of any accidents.  
  
"So you'll be coming to my party?" Andrew asked, just to make sure.  
  
"We wouldn't miss it for the world," Jack promised him. 


	30. Epilogue

Epilogue  
  
~*~  
  
"Jack!"  
  
Jack O'Neill looked over at the sound of his name being called, and scowled. He was standing on a path in the park, walking hand in hand with Sam on a rare day when the two of them had nothing to do and could spend it outside doing nothing together. Even better, Teal'c and Daniel were both free, too, so the team had all made a day of it. Spring had come, and after a winter of being cooped up, they were all eager to get out.  
  
"Jack!"  
  
The voice calling his name was deep and Jack scowled again, doing his best to ignore it. Teal'c never called Jack by his first name. Which meant he was calling someone else.  
  
Down the path a ways a gangly young yellow lab puppy had raised his head from whatever interesting scent he'd been sniffing. The dog had grown quite a bit, and was every bit as handsome as his mother was. A true Champion in every form, even though all he was now was ears and feet.  
  
"Come here, Jack!"  
  
The puppy came running over, loping on long legs that were a promise of size to come when he finally grew into them. He rushed up to Teal'c, wuffling happily, his tail wagging so hard his entire back end was wagging as well.  
  
"Good dog!"  
  
Teal'c wasn't smiling, but he had that satisfied smirk on his face that he wore every time he and Jack took their dogs out together. Jack ignored it, like he always did, but Sam laughed and leaned against O'Neill.  
  
"I think we should have gotten him a dog a long time ago."  
  
"Oh, I don't think so."  
  
Officially, Jack's name was Colonel Jack O'Neill. A name that Teal'c had had no trouble registering, since no one else in the entire country had thought to name their yellow lab that. But Teal'c just called him Jack, and everyone else went along with it. It was a good name for a very sweet animal.  
  
"He's very good with him."  
  
"We could have gotten him a hamster."  
  
"Jack the hamster doesn't sound nearly so good."  
  
"Yeah, yeah."  
  
Jack looked down at the black lab puppy that was walking on the end of his leash, which Sam was holding. His dog was even larger than Teal'c's, and Jack felt just a little smug about that. The black hide gleamed with good health, and the brown eyes were so intelligent that Jack expected him to start speaking any day. Of course, he wasn't a perfect angel. Jack had brought him home, and had learned immediately that young labs loved to get into everything and chew on everything. Nothing had been safe from day one.  
  
His bathroom floor had been ripped up one day while Jack was off world on a short mission with the rest of SG-1. He'd come home to find that there was a large hole in the middle of the floor, and his cute puppy was gnawing on a piece of tile. That was when Jack had decided that he'd start taking his baby to work with him. There were guard dogs at the base, and there was a kennel. He'd drop him off, with strict instructions about diet and exercise, and pick him up when it was time to go home. Things had been a bit better then. Except that shoes were vanishing from his closet at an alarming rate.  
  
"Jack!"  
  
This time the voice was younger, and Jack turned to look and see if he were being addressed. Shawn came running up, a tennis ball in each hand. Two very slobbery and well-worn tennis balls.  
  
"Can I take Jaffer, Sam?" Shawn asked, looking down at the puppy, who was watching the tennis balls with great interest.  
  
She grinned and handed the leash over to the boy, who then went over and mooched the yellow lab puppy from Teal'c as well.  
  
"Keep an eye on them," Jack warned, smiling at the boy. "There's ducks somewhere around here, and you know how Jaffer gets when he sees a duck."  
  
"I'll watch them," Shawn promised. Really the park was as safe for the dogs as any place was. It was fenced in, so they wouldn't have to worry about them getting loose and getting hit by a car, and it was filled with grass for them to run on. And Shawn was good about keeping an eye on them. Shawn took off at a run, with both puppies following him excitedly.  
  
"Hi, Daniel!"  
  
"Hi, Shawn." Daniel watched as Shawn ran past him with the two dogs, and grinned at the others, handing out hot dogs that he'd bought from the vendor. It was just as easy to do that as to go out and get some lunch, and they were going to have an early dinner before they took Shawn back home.  
  
"You know, those dogs are going to be huge when they get older." Daniel said to Jack.  
  
"Yup. I'm going to teach Jaffer how to fish."  
  
"I am going to teach Jack how to play fetch."  
  
"I'm going to teach Jaffer how to row a boat."  
  
"I am going to teach Jack how to play dead."  
  
"I'm going to teach Jaffer how to play cribbage."  
  
"I am-"  
  
"I get it," Daniel said holding up his hand. This was a favorite pastime of Teal'c and Jack's. They'd start making up different things they were going to teach their dogs, although at the moment all either of the puppies really knew were their names, and Jaffer didn't really know his all that well. Which is why he was usually on a leash.  
  
"How's the leg, Daniel?" Sam asked, changing the subject before the two could start again.  
  
"It's fine. I had my last physical therapy session yesterday."  
  
Both Daniel and Jack had been taking therapy or their legs – from the same doctor that was giving Andrew his – but Jack had completed his before Daniel. His leg injury hadn't been as serious, after all. Both had been certified healthy, and neither had so much as a limp – although Jack's knees weren't all that great to begin with.  
  
"That's good, Daniel," Jack said, looping his arm around Sam's shoulder and pulling her close as he turned and started to walk towards the field of grass that Shawn was playing tag with the puppies in. The others followed him, all of them watching the boy and the dogs. Jack smiled, his brown eyes plainly showing his satisfaction with his life just then. He turned, just a little, looking at Teal'c out of the corner of his eye.  
  
"You know... I think tomorrow I'll start teaching Jaffer karate."  
  
"I was thinking that I would teach Jack how to play shuffle board."  
  
"Jaffer already knows how to play shuffle board... He's learning how to play badminton next week-"  
  
Sam and Daniel both gave each other a look of long-suffering. Luckily, the labs were only supposed to have a lifespan of ten to fifteen years, so they wouldn't have to put up with this forever. It would just seem like it.  
  
The End!  
  
Author's note: Okay! Now for the usual... what did you like most, what did you not like the most? Best line? (I did make a couple errors in this one, and I don't like to do that, but I do appreciate when they get pointed out to me, so don't stop pointing them out if you find them!) 


End file.
